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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: spell · track · straw · spring · fall · land · pit · stock

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. land — ground
  3. fall — the season
  4. fall — to drop
  5. track — to keep track
  6. spring — a coil
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. spell — letters
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. fall — to drop
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. spring — the season
  14. land — to come down
  15. track — a song
  16. pit — in a race
  17. spell — a short time
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. pit — a hole
  20. spring — of water
  21. track — a path
  22. spell — magic
  23. stock — goods
  24. stock — shares

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