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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: squash · tear · fall · stock · racket · lash · spring · bound

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. tear — to rip
  3. squash — to crush
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bound — tied together
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. spring — the season
  8. stock — goods
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. bound — obliged
  11. fall — to drop
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. fall — the season
  15. tear — from crying
  16. squash — the sport
  17. stock — shares
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bound — certain
  21. spring — a coil
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — for tennis

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