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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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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 · swing · mate · snap · sharp · wind · stem · rock

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. rock — a stone
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. vault — a safe
  5. mate — to breed
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. stem — to come from
  10. rock — music
  11. wind — moving air
  12. swing — music
  13. wind — moving air
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. mate — a friend
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. mate — a partner
  20. sharp — clever
  21. snap — to click
  22. swing — in golf
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. swing — to play on

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