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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: hide · dip · stem · spring · rest · bound · land · stock

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. stock — goods
  3. stem — to come from
  4. land — a country
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. rest — a break
  8. rest — what's left
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. dip — to sink
  11. bound — tied together
  12. land — to come down
  13. stock — shares
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — obliged
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. spring — the season
  19. spring — a coil
  20. rest — what's left
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. land — ground

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