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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: spring · net · shower · present · stock · mark · bank · rush

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. bank — for money
  3. net — in sport
  4. present — there
  5. bank — of a river
  6. net — for catching
  7. shower — rain
  8. shower — to wash
  9. rush — hurry
  10. spring — the season
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. present — the time now
  13. mark — a trace
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. stock — shares
  19. present — a gift
  20. mark — a grade
  21. stock — goods
  22. net — after costs
  23. spring — a coil
  24. bank — for money

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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