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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. court — for sport
  3. stock — goods
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. press — a publisher
  6. spring — of water
  7. court — of a king
  8. press — newspapers
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. spring — the season
  11. court — of law
  12. bank — of a river
  13. club — a group
  14. bank — for money
  15. club — for golf
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. stock — shares
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. press — to push
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. club — for dancing
  22. bank — for money
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. vault — a safe

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