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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: vault · bowl · cabinet · bank · stock · wind

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. wind — moving air
  8. stock — goods
  9. bank — for money
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. bank — for money
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bank — of a river
  16. vault — a safe
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. wind — to turn a key

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