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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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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: stem · foot · degree · date · vault · bank · stock · bay

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. degree — from a university
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. date — the fruit
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. vault — a safe
  9. degree — temperature
  10. degree — an amount
  11. bank — for money
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. bank — for money
  15. stem — to come from
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. foot — a measure
  19. bank — of a river
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. stock — shares
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. stock — goods
  24. stem — a stem cell

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