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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: stock · hide · vault · band · nail · wound · rush · prune

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. band — a ring
  4. rush — hurry
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. prune — to trim
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. wound — an injury
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. wound — an injury
  14. prune — to trim
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. stock — shares
  17. vault — a safe
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. stock — goods
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. band — a music group

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