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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 120 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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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: spring · club · deal · root · stem · stock · drill · vault

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. club — a group
  3. club — for dancing
  4. drill — army training
  5. deal — to handle
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. drill — the tool
  8. root — of a word
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. stem — to come from
  11. spring — a coil
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. stock — shares
  14. vault — a safe
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. drill — a practice
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. spring — the season
  20. club — for golf
  21. stock — goods
  22. root — the cause
  23. root — of a plant
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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