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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 · temple · rash · wind · arm · stock · vault · dip

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. wind — moving air
  6. vault — a safe
  7. ground — the earth
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. rash — a series
  11. dip — to sink
  12. ground — crushed
  13. stock — shares
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. ground — a position
  18. wind — moving air
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. stock — goods

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