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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: stick · lean · stock · spring · can · spell

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. 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. stick — a piece of wood
  2. spell — letters
  3. spring — a coil
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — a tin
  7. stock — goods
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. stock — shares
  10. spell — a short time
  11. spell — magic
  12. lean — thin
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. can — to be able to
  15. spring — the season
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. lean — to bend
  18. 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