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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: ground · spring · stock · saw · drill · chip

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. chip — to eat
  3. saw — the tool
  4. drill — the tool
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. drill — army training
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. stock — shares
  9. spring — a coil
  10. spring — the season
  11. spring — of water
  12. ground — the earth
  13. drill — a practice
  14. ground — a position
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. ground — crushed
  17. chip — for betting
  18. saw — the tool

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