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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bore · season · vault · wind · stock · spring · temple · branch

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. wind — moving air
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. branch — a division
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. spring — a coil
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. stock — shares
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. bore — to drill
  14. wind — moving air
  15. season — of the year
  16. season — in sport
  17. spring — of water
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. stock — goods
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. spring — the season
  24. bore — to tire

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