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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: bore · stem · vault · last · pop · can · stock · wind

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. last — finally
  3. stock — goods
  4. vault — a safe
  5. can — a tin
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. pop — soda
  9. bore — to drill
  10. last — final
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. stem — to come from
  13. can — to be able to
  14. last — to go on
  15. pop — music
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. can — a tin
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. wind — moving air
  21. pop — to visit
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bore — to tire

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