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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: stock · pop · perch · bulb · land · vault · present · branch

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. perch — the fish
  3. bulb — for light
  4. stock — goods
  5. bulb — for light
  6. vault — a safe
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. pop — to visit
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. land — ground
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. land — a country
  13. present — there
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. pop — soda
  16. branch — a division
  17. stock — shares
  18. present — the time now
  19. pop — music
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. present — a gift
  24. stock — a soup base

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