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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: vault · stock · game · bore · wake · kick · ground · bulb

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — the earth
  4. bore — to drill
  5. vault — a safe
  6. ground — a position
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. bulb — for light
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. game — wild animals
  13. stock — goods
  14. wake — a trail
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. kick — in football
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bore — to tire
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. stock — shares
  23. game — a match
  24. bulb — for light

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