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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: nail · perch · vault · hand · rock · wind · stock · clip

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. stock — goods
  4. perch — the fish
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. clip — a video
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. rock — a stone
  11. rock — music
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. clip — for paper
  17. wind — moving air
  18. hand — in cards
  19. clip — to cut
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. hand — help
  22. vault — a safe
  23. stock — shares
  24. nail — for a hammer

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