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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: row · stock · patient · vault · saw · chest · mark · deal

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. chest — a box
  4. saw — the tool
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. stock — goods
  7. chest — of your body
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. row — to paddle
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. row — a line
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. deal — to handle
  16. chest — of your body
  17. mark — a grade
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. saw — the tool
  20. mark — a trace
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. stock — shares
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. vault — a safe

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