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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: stock · mine · vault · perch · mouse · field · ball · wave

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. stock — goods
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. vault — a safe
  6. field — a subject
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. field — for sport
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. mine — for digging
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. ball — a dance
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. field — farmland
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. perch — the fish
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. ball — a great time

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