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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
468
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: leaves · bulb · bark · stock · vault · pass · snap · field

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. pass — a permit
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. field — a subject
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. field — farmland
  10. stock — goods
  11. snap — to click
  12. bulb — for light
  13. field — for sport
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bark — to shout
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. vault — a safe
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. leaves — lets stay

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