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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 · bound · vault · roll · current · firm · spring · cell

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. firm — a company
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. bound — certain
  5. cell — in biology
  6. roll — a list
  7. bound — obliged
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. stock — shares
  10. spring — a coil
  11. bound — tied together
  12. vault — a safe
  13. roll — a cake
  14. current — electric
  15. spring — the season
  16. cell — a phone
  17. current — of water
  18. current — happening now
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. firm — decided
  21. firm — steady
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. stock — goods

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