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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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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: spell · field · present · vault · stock · fork · snap · mark

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. present — there
  3. snap — to click
  4. field — farmland
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. present — the time now
  7. present — a gift
  8. spell — letters
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. vault — a safe
  11. stock — shares
  12. fork — in a road
  13. mark — a trace
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. spell — magic
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. spell — a short time
  19. field — for sport
  20. mark — a grade
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. field — a subject
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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