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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: hand · stock · branch · foot · spring · rest · calf · vault

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. branch — a division
  3. vault — a safe
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. foot — a measure
  8. rest — what's left
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. stock — shares
  13. rest — a break
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. hand — help
  16. spring — the season
  17. spring — of water
  18. stock — goods
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. spring — a coil
  23. hand — in cards
  24. rest — what's left

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