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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: straw · pitcher · arm · lean · fan · season · stock · vault

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. season — in sport
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. stock — goods
  6. lean — thin
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. vault — a safe
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. lean — to bend
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. season — of the year
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. straw — dry grass

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