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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: squash · field · vault · trunk · fork · fan · cell · stock

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. vault — a safe
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — farmland
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. cell — in biology
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. squash — to crush
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. fork — in a road
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. stock — goods
  19. cell — a phone
  20. field — a subject
  21. squash — the sport
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. fork — to eat with

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