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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: spring · board · press · firm · stock · vault · ground · sharp

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. ground — the earth
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. firm — a company
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. spring — the season
  8. board — a committee
  9. press — to push
  10. stock — shares
  11. press — newspapers
  12. firm — steady
  13. spring — a coil
  14. ground — a position
  15. board — to get on
  16. spring — of water
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. sharp — clever
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. vault — a safe
  21. stock — goods
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. ground — crushed
  24. firm — decided

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