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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: rush · mark · dip · stock · hand · net · spring · cue

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. rush — hurry
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. net — after costs
  6. cue — a hint
  7. dip — to sink
  8. net — in sport
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — the season
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. mark — a grade
  15. hand — in cards
  16. hand — help
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. stock — shares
  19. stock — goods
  20. spring — of water
  21. cue — a signal
  22. cue — for pool
  23. mark — a trace
  24. rush — a thrill

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