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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: lie · last · stock · spring · object · season · rush · ground

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. season — in sport
  3. spring — a coil
  4. last — final
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. last — to go on
  7. season — of the year
  8. lie — to recline
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. last — finally
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rush — hurry
  14. stock — goods
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. ground — a position
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. object — to protest
  19. stock — shares
  20. object — a thing
  21. ground — crushed
  22. ground — the earth
  23. spring — the season
  24. spring — of water

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