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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.

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: ground · drill · vault · degree · bank · capital · row · stock

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. drill — army training
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. capital — money
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. degree — temperature
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. drill — a practice
  9. ground — a position
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. degree — an amount
  12. capital — a city
  13. ground — the earth
  14. ground — crushed
  15. stock — shares
  16. row — a line
  17. degree — from a university
  18. stock — goods
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. bank — for money
  21. drill — the tool
  22. vault — a safe
  23. bank — of a river
  24. bank — for money

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