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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: date · snap · vault · tube · stand · deal · stem · cell

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. stand — to bear
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. cell — in biology
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. tube — a container
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. deal — to handle
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. vault — a safe
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. stem — to come from
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. tube — the underground
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. date — the fruit
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. date — on the calendar

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