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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: spring · object · hand · cabinet · pop · stock · rock · game

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  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. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. spring — the season
  3. hand — help
  4. object — a thing
  5. stock — goods
  6. object — an aim
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. pop — soda
  9. hand — in cards
  10. pop — to visit
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. object — to protest
  14. stock — shares
  15. spring — of water
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. rock — a stone
  18. rock — music
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. pop — music
  21. game — a match
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. game — wild animals
  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