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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 120 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 · stem · bore · fine · spell · straw · cell · club

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. spell — magic
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. cell — a phone
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. bore — to tire
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. club — a group
  10. spell — a short time
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. fine — all right
  14. fine — high quality
  15. spell — letters
  16. cell — in biology
  17. bore — to drill
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. vault — a safe
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. stem — to come from
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. club — for golf
  24. fine — a penalty

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