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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: swing · pound · branch · stock · deal · spring · lean · roll

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  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. spring — of water
  2. pound — a weight
  3. swing — music
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. spring — the season
  8. roll — a cake
  9. stock — goods
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. swing — in golf
  12. swing — to play on
  13. lean — thin
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. branch — a division
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. stock — shares
  18. deal — to handle
  19. roll — a list
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. lean — to bend
  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