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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: band · stock · mine · jam · roll · trunk · vault · staff

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. stock — goods
  3. stock — shares
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. roll — a list
  6. band — a music group
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. band — a ring
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. staff — employees
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. staff — employees
  14. vault — a safe
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. staff — a stick
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. roll — a cake
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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