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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 · spring · roll · stock · file · tube · lash · pop

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. pop — soda
  4. file — a tool
  5. spring — of water
  6. tube — the underground
  7. tube — a container
  8. stock — goods
  9. stock — shares
  10. pop — to visit
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. file — a document
  13. spring — the season
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. file — a line of people
  19. pop — music
  20. vault — a safe
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. spring — a coil
  23. roll — a cake
  24. tube — in a tire

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