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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: snap · vault · rash · squash · stem · bat · bass · saw

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. bass — low music
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. rash — a series
  11. squash — to crush
  12. bass — the fish
  13. saw — the tool
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. stem — to come from
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. squash — the sport
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. snap — to click
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. rash — hasty
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. vault — a safe
  24. bat — for baseball

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