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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: spring · temple · bear · vault · march · row · stock · snap

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. march — the month
  7. spring — the season
  8. march — the month
  9. snap — to click
  10. row — to paddle
  11. vault — a safe
  12. row — a line
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. march — music
  16. stock — goods
  17. stock — shares
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. bear — the animal
  21. spring — of water
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. bear — the animal
  24. spring — a coil

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