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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: hand · file · stock · bulb · vault · squash · wind · temple

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. stock — goods
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. bulb — for light
  7. wind — moving air
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. file — a document
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. vault — a safe
  12. wind — moving air
  13. hand — in cards
  14. file — a tool
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. file — a line of people
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. hand — help
  21. bulb — for light
  22. stock — shares
  23. squash — the sport
  24. squash — the vegetable

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