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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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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 · cell · sharp · face · staff · vault · row · mark

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. row — a line
  3. face — to confront
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — a stick
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. staff — employees
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. cell — a phone
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. sharp — clever
  13. stem — to come from
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. row — to paddle
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. face — to point toward
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. vault — a safe
  21. mark — a grade
  22. cell — in biology
  23. mark — a trace
  24. stem — a stem cell

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