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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.

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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: stock · rock · spring · mark · bowl · net · drill · pop

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. rock — music
  3. stock — goods
  4. spring — a coil
  5. rock — a stone
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. drill — a practice
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. pop — music
  10. pop — soda
  11. drill — the tool
  12. mark — a trace
  13. net — after costs
  14. net — for catching
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. drill — army training
  18. pop — to visit
  19. spring — the season
  20. mark — a grade
  21. net — in sport
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. spring — of water

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