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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 116 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: bound · vault · calf · stock · staff · last

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. staff — a stick
  4. last — final
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bound — tied together
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stock — goods
  12. vault — a safe
  13. last — to go on
  14. bound — certain
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. staff — employees
  17. last — finally
  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