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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: stick · foot · spring · wake · stock · net · chair · lie

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. net — in sport
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. foot — a measure
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. chair — a leader
  9. stock — shares
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. lie — to recline
  12. net — for catching
  13. net — after costs
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. spring — a coil
  20. stock — goods
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. spring — the season
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. spring — of water

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