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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: firm · kid · spring · stock · march · vault · leaves · season

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. kid — child
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. spring — the season
  7. firm — decided
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. spring — a coil
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. march — the month
  12. stock — shares
  13. firm — a company
  14. season — of the year
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. march — music
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. kid — to tease
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. season — in sport
  21. vault — a safe
  22. stock — goods
  23. firm — steady
  24. spring — of water

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