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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 116 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: spring · bore · fall · net · saw · stock

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bore — to drill
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. saw — the tool
  6. fall — to drop
  7. saw — the tool
  8. spring — the season
  9. stock — goods
  10. spring — a coil
  11. net — after costs
  12. spring — of water
  13. net — for catching
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. bore — to tire
  16. stock — shares
  17. net — in sport
  18. fall — the season

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