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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: bat · can · stick · vault · wake · stock · wound · bound

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. bound — certain
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bat — the animal
  9. vault — a safe
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. stock — goods
  12. can — a tin
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. can — a tin
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bound — obliged
  19. can — to be able to
  20. stock — shares
  21. wake — a trail
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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