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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.

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: wound · ball · mine · bear · drill · chip · stock · spring

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. spring — a coil
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stock — goods
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. stock — shares
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. ball — a great time
  9. bear — the animal
  10. drill — a practice
  11. spring — of water
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. chip — for betting
  14. bear — the animal
  15. wound — an injury
  16. drill — army training
  17. chip — to eat
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. ball — a dance
  22. wound — an injury
  23. drill — the tool
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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