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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: bound · hand · hide · stem · vault · last · racket · mine

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. bound — certain
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. last — final
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. last — finally
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. stem — to come from
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. bound — tied together
  19. last — to go on
  20. hand — in cards
  21. hand — help
  22. bound — obliged
  23. vault — a safe
  24. racket — for tennis

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