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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: staff · bound · land · mate · vault · deal · prune · stem

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. prune — to trim
  3. mate — to breed
  4. bound — tied together
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mate — a partner
  7. bound — obliged
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. stem — to come from
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. staff — a stick
  12. vault — a safe
  13. staff — employees
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. deal — to handle
  16. prune — to trim
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. land — to come down
  21. land — a country
  22. staff — employees
  23. land — ground
  24. bound — certain

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com