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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: stock · spring · bound · rock · tear · net · spell · rule

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. He took the fish out of 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. spring — a coil
  2. spell — magic
  3. spell — a short time
  4. rule — a law
  5. stock — shares
  6. rock — a stone
  7. spring — the season
  8. spell — letters
  9. stock — goods
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bound — tied together
  12. net — after costs
  13. rock — music
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. net — in sport
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bound — certain
  19. tear — to rip
  20. tear — from crying
  21. rule — government
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. net — for catching
  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