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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: cold · spring · stock · board · stem · spell · scale · bank

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. scale — size or range
  3. scale — in music
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. board — a committee
  8. bank — for money
  9. spring — a coil
  10. spring — of water
  11. spring — the season
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stock — shares
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. cold — not warm
  16. stock — goods
  17. bank — for money
  18. cold — an illness
  19. board — to get on
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. spell — letters
  22. bank — of a river
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. spell — magic

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