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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: vault · sharp · scale · current · lash · chair · stock · prune

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  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. scale — in music
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. current — of water
  5. prune — to trim
  6. stock — goods
  7. scale — size or range
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. chair — a leader
  15. stock — shares
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. current — electric
  18. sharp — clever
  19. vault — a safe
  20. prune — to trim
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. current — happening now
  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