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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: present · stem · fork · stock · game · board · vault · date

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. vault — a safe
  3. present — there
  4. stock — shares
  5. stock — goods
  6. board — to get on
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. date — the fruit
  9. present — the time now
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. stem — to come from
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. game — a match
  19. game — wild animals
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. board — a committee
  23. fork — in a road
  24. date — on the calendar

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