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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
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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: date · staff · pop · sharp · stock · spell · chest · spring

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. staff — a stick
  3. stock — shares
  4. date — the fruit
  5. pop — soda
  6. sharp — clever
  7. staff — employees
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. spring — of water
  10. spell — a short time
  11. spring — the season
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. chest — a box
  14. spring — a coil
  15. chest — of your body
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. chest — of your body
  20. pop — to visit
  21. stock — goods
  22. pop — music
  23. staff — employees
  24. spell — letters

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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