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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 120 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: staff · stock · content · ground · pound · safe · deal · spring

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. ground — a position
  4. stock — shares
  5. spring — the season
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. spring — of water
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. staff — employees
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. ground — the earth
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. stock — goods
  16. staff — a stick
  17. content — the amount
  18. content — happy
  19. deal — to handle
  20. staff — employees
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. ground — crushed
  23. pound — a weight
  24. spring — a coil

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