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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: net · bank · calf · degree · present · vault · stock · squash

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. bank — for money
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. squash — to crush
  5. vault — a safe
  6. bank — of a river
  7. present — a gift
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. bank — for money
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. stock — shares
  12. net — in sport
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. net — for catching
  15. squash — the sport
  16. degree — temperature
  17. stock — goods
  18. present — there
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. degree — from a university
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. present — the time now
  24. net — after costs

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