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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 116 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: spring · court · stock · straw · fork · firm · lash · net

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. spring — a coil
  3. net — for catching
  4. net — after costs
  5. spring — of water
  6. spring — the season
  7. court — of a king
  8. court — of law
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. court — for sport
  11. fork — in a road
  12. stock — shares
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. firm — decided
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. firm — steady
  22. net — in sport
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. firm — a company

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