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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 · craft · spring · pound · sharp · mate · bay · board

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. board — to get on
  3. mate — to breed
  4. pound — a weight
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. spring — of water
  7. mate — a friend
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. spring — a coil
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. stock — shares
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. sharp — clever
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. spring — the season
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. stock — goods
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. craft — boats
  22. craft — a skill
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. board — a committee

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