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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: ground · vault · file · pound · trunk · stock · racket · bear

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. pound — a weight
  3. vault — a safe
  4. stock — goods
  5. ground — crushed
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. file — a line of people
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. ground — the earth
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. file — a tool
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. file — a document
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — the animal
  21. ground — a position
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. trunk — of a car
  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