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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: temple · cap · net · bank · stock · spring · straw · mug

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. net — after costs
  4. net — in sport
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. net — for catching
  8. bank — for money
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. stock — goods
  11. spring — the season
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. cap — of ice
  14. mug — a face
  15. spring — of water
  16. bank — of a river
  17. cap — a lid
  18. stock — shares
  19. bank — for money
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. spring — a coil
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. mug — to rob
  24. cap — a hat

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