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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 116 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: stock · ground · wake · spell · band · ball · bat · vault

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. ground — crushed
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. ball — a great time
  7. ball — a dance
  8. spell — letters
  9. band — a ring
  10. stock — shares
  11. vault — a safe
  12. stock — goods
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. spell — magic
  19. bat — the animal
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. spell — a short time
  22. band — a music group
  23. ground — a position
  24. ground — the earth

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