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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: root · present · vault · lash · stock · fall · shower · bass

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bass — low music
  4. stock — shares
  5. present — a gift
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. root — the cause
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. root — of a word
  12. root — of a plant
  13. fall — the season
  14. present — there
  15. bass — the fish
  16. vault — a safe
  17. fall — to drop
  18. stock — goods
  19. shower — to wash
  20. fall — to drop
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. present — the time now
  23. shower — rain
  24. lash — an eyelash

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