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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: wound · prune · stem · land · vault · kid · can · lean

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. can — to be able to
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. can — a tin
  8. prune — to trim
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. can — a tin
  11. vault — a safe
  12. wound — an injury
  13. land — a country
  14. lean — to bend
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. land — ground
  18. land — to come down
  19. wound — an injury
  20. kid — child
  21. lean — thin
  22. kid — to tease
  23. prune — to trim
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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