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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. squash — to crush
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. net — for catching
  7. net — in sport
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. spring — a coil
  11. stock — shares
  12. net — after costs
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. plane — a tool
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. rush — hurry
  20. lean — to bend
  21. squash — the sport
  22. stock — goods
  23. lean — thin
  24. spring — of water

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