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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: stem · chest · vault · wake · perch · rule · band · sharp

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  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. rule — to rule out
  2. chest — of your body
  3. vault — a safe
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. wake — a trail
  6. stem — to come from
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. rule — government
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. rule — a law
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. chest — a box
  16. band — a music group
  17. chest — of your body
  18. band — a ring
  19. sharp — clever
  20. perch — the fish
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. perch — for a bird
  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