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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: sharp · stand · vault · last · mark · stem · bowl · dip

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. last — final
  4. stand — to bear
  5. dip — to sink
  6. last — finally
  7. vault — a safe
  8. sharp — clever
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. last — to go on
  12. mark — a trace
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. stem — to come from
  18. mark — a grade
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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