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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 116 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: stem · last · vault · kid · squash · pop · bark · scale

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. scale — size or range
  3. last — final
  4. pop — to visit
  5. kid — to tease
  6. pop — soda
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. last — to go on
  10. pop — music
  11. kid — child
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. squash — to crush
  17. stem — to come from
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. bark — to shout
  20. scale — in music
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. squash — the sport
  23. vault — a safe
  24. last — finally

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