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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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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: season · stock · pop · vault · bank · fall

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. fall — to drop
  3. stock — goods
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. season — of the year
  6. pop — to visit
  7. fall — to drop
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. bank — for money
  10. vault — a safe
  11. pop — soda
  12. pop — music
  13. bank — for money
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. stock — shares
  16. season — in sport
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. fall — the season

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