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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: content · net · can · stock · saw · rush · spring · roll

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. can — to be able to
  3. rush — hurry
  4. net — for catching
  5. spring — of water
  6. roll — a cake
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. spring — a coil
  9. can — a tin
  10. net — after costs
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. content — the amount
  13. stock — goods
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. spring — the season
  16. content — happy
  17. net — in sport
  18. saw — the tool
  19. can — a tin
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. roll — a list
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. stock — shares

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