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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 · club · stock · cap · field · land · sharp · bulb

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. cap — of ice
  3. land — to come down
  4. club — a group
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. bulb — for light
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. land — a country
  10. sharp — clever
  11. bulb — for light
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cap — a lid
  14. club — for dancing
  15. field — for sport
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. stock — goods
  18. field — farmland
  19. land — ground
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. vault — a safe
  23. club — for golf
  24. stock — shares

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