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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: track · stand · vault · spell · race · stock · mine · wind

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. spell — magic
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. wind — moving air
  6. vault — a safe
  7. track — a song
  8. stand — to bear
  9. mine — for digging
  10. spell — a short time
  11. race — a contest
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. track — to keep track
  14. race — humankind
  15. wind — moving air
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. track — a path
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. spell — letters
  20. stock — goods
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. stock — shares
  24. race — the arms race

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