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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: vault · bore · calf · pop · stock · season · leaves · root

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. root — of a word
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. season — of the year
  7. pop — music
  8. root — the cause
  9. pop — soda
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. pop — to visit
  12. bore — to drill
  13. stock — goods
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. root — of a plant
  16. stock — shares
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. season — in sport
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. bore — to tire
  24. calf — a young animal

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