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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: bay · stock · squash · ground · leaves · season · spring · scale

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. ground — the earth
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. scale — in music
  6. stock — goods
  7. season — in sport
  8. scale — size or range
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. ground — crushed
  12. squash — the sport
  13. squash — to crush
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. ground — a position
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. spring — of water
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. spring — the season
  21. season — of the year
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. stock — shares
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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