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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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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 · rule · stem · hide · wave · fork · wound · cell

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. stem — to come from
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. rule — a law
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. cell — in biology
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. wound — an injury
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. vault — a safe
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. rule — government
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. wound — an injury
  24. fork — in a road

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