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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.

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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: tear · drill · vault · race · bass · stock

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. race — humankind
  3. bass — low music
  4. tear — to rip
  5. drill — the tool
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. race — the arms race
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. tear — from crying
  11. drill — a practice
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. drill — army training
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. vault — a safe
  16. stock — goods
  17. race — a contest
  18. bass — the fish

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