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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: vault · straw · stock · bank · rest · staff

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. staff — a stick
  3. bank — of a river
  4. rest — what's left
  5. stock — goods
  6. staff — employees
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — a break
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. vault — a safe
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. bank — for money
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. bank — for money
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. staff — employees

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