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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: vault · file · ground · key · hide · leaves · racket · stem

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. ground — crushed
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. file — a line of people
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. stem — to come from
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. key — for a lock
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. vault — a safe
  15. ground — the earth
  16. file — a document
  17. key — in music
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. file — a tool
  24. ground — a position

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