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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: can · band · hide · stock · bore · spring · lie · wind

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. band — a music group
  5. can — a tin
  6. band — a ring
  7. spring — a coil
  8. can — to be able to
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. spring — of water
  12. lie — to recline
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — moving air
  15. can — a tin
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bore — to drill
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. stock — goods
  22. spring — the season
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. lie — an untruth

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