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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 · spell · spring · bass · foot · firm · track · stock

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. spring — the season
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. firm — steady
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. spell — letters
  7. stock — goods
  8. spring — of water
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. firm — decided
  11. stock — shares
  12. spell — magic
  13. firm — a company
  14. track — to keep track
  15. cold — not warm
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. spring — a coil
  18. track — a path
  19. track — a song
  20. cold — an illness
  21. bass — the fish
  22. foot — a measure
  23. bass — low music
  24. bass — the instrument

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