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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: dip · vault · track · net · tear · stock · wound · row

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. row — a line
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — to rip
  5. vault — a safe
  6. net — after costs
  7. stock — goods
  8. dip — to sink
  9. net — for catching
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. wound — an injury
  12. tear — from crying
  13. track — a song
  14. row — to paddle
  15. stock — shares
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. track — a path
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. net — in sport
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. stock — a soup base

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