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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 124 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: band · date · wake · roll · bore · vault · stem · arm

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. bore — to tire
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. bore — to drill
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. stem — to come from
  12. band — a ring
  13. vault — a safe
  14. band — a music group
  15. roll — a list
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. wake — a trail
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. roll — a cake
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. date — the fruit

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