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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 120 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 · season · rock · hand · stock · saw · bore · craft

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  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. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. season — in sport
  3. rock — music
  4. rock — a stone
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. saw — the tool
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. hand — help
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. season — of the year
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. stock — shares
  14. craft — boats
  15. saw — the tool
  16. craft — a skill
  17. stock — goods
  18. bore — to drill
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. bore — to tire
  21. hand — in cards
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. hand — part of the body
  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