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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 · fork · last · stock · rest · root · toast · wound

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. stock — goods
  3. root — the cause
  4. last — final
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. root — of a plant
  8. last — finally
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. fork — in a road
  11. rest — a break
  12. rest — what's left
  13. toast — bread
  14. wound — an injury
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. last — to go on
  17. root — of a word
  18. wound — an injury
  19. vault — a safe
  20. stock — shares
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. fork — to eat with

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