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

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. charge — a price
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — the season
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. stock — shares
  10. bank — for money
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. field — a subject
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bank — for money
  18. charge — electricity
  19. field — farmland
  20. field — for sport
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. vault — a safe
  23. charge — in control
  24. bank — of a river

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