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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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. firm — a company
  3. vault — a safe
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rush — hurry
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. firm — decided
  11. branch — a division
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. spring — the season
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. stock — goods
  18. firm — steady
  19. spring — a coil
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. wake — a trail
  22. stock — shares
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. spring — of water

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