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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: object · vault · stock · current · wind · date · fall · fan

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. stock — goods
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. wind — moving air
  5. current — electric
  6. fall — the season
  7. date — the fruit
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. wind — moving air
  10. stock — shares
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. current — of water
  13. vault — a safe
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. object — to protest
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. current — happening now
  21. object — an aim
  22. object — a thing
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. date — on the calendar

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