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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: present · spell · stock · land · mine · mate

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. stock — goods
  4. spell — a short time
  5. land — ground
  6. spell — letters
  7. mate — a friend
  8. land — a country
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. present — there
  11. present — the time now
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. land — to come down
  14. present — a gift
  15. mate — a partner
  16. mate — to breed
  17. stock — shares
  18. spell — magic

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