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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · rock · swing · safe · land · spring · stick

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. spring — the season
  5. land — to come down
  6. land — ground
  7. stock — goods
  8. swing — to play on
  9. land — a country
  10. stock — shares
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. rock — a stone
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. rock — music
  17. spring — a coil
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. spring — of water
  22. swing — in golf
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. swing — music

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