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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: object · ground · shower · swing · stock · vault · chest · bass

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. shower — rain
  3. swing — to play on
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. ground — crushed
  6. bass — low music
  7. swing — music
  8. shower — to wash
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. object — a thing
  11. stock — goods
  12. object — to protest
  13. chest — of your body
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. chest — of your body
  16. ground — the earth
  17. object — an aim
  18. chest — a box
  19. stock — shares
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. swing — in golf
  24. vault — a safe

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