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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 · bowl · field · content · bank · bound · spring · ball

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. spring — of water
  3. field — farmland
  4. spring — the season
  5. content — the amount
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. content — happy
  9. stock — goods
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bank — of a river
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. bank — for money
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. field — for sport
  16. stock — shares
  17. bound — certain
  18. field — a subject
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. ball — a dance
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. bank — for money
  23. ball — a great time
  24. spring — a coil

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