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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: stock · sharp · fall · bark · bore · vault · spring · saw

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. spring — a coil
  4. stock — shares
  5. spring — the season
  6. sharp — clever
  7. fall — the season
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. bark — to shout
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. saw — the tool
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. fall — to drop
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bore — to tire
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. vault — a safe
  20. spring — of water
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. bore — to drill
  24. stock — goods

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