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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: mate · bound · stock · spell · wave · saw · court · pop

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. spell — a short time
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. spell — letters
  5. court — of a king
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. court — of law
  8. mate — a partner
  9. bound — obliged
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. mate — to breed
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pop — soda
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. bound — certain
  16. mate — a friend
  17. court — for sport
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. spell — magic
  20. stock — goods
  21. pop — music
  22. bound — tied together
  23. stock — shares
  24. saw — the tool

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