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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.

Make a worksheet

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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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: chest · vault · stock · spring · can · rash

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. can — a tin
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. stock — shares
  6. can — a tin
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. spring — a coil
  9. chest — a box
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. vault — a safe
  12. can — to be able to
  13. chest — of your body
  14. rash — a series
  15. spring — the season
  16. chest — of your body
  17. stock — goods
  18. rash — hasty

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