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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pop · staff · stock · toast · spring · net · squash · craft

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pop — to visit
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. spring — the season
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. net — for catching
  9. craft — a skill
  10. stock — goods
  11. net — in sport
  12. toast — bread
  13. craft — boats
  14. staff — employees
  15. spring — a coil
  16. stock — shares
  17. spring — of water
  18. pop — soda
  19. net — after costs
  20. squash — the sport
  21. squash — to crush
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. staff — a stick
  24. staff — employees

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