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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: game · bulb · bat · stock · land · key · vault · branch

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. vault — a safe
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. land — ground
  5. bat — the animal
  6. key — in music
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bulb — for light
  9. branch — a division
  10. stock — goods
  11. key — for a lock
  12. game — a match
  13. bulb — for light
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. land — a country
  18. game — wild animals
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. stock — shares
  24. key — the most important part

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