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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 · stock · ball · mate · rock · rash · board · lash

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. spring — a coil
  7. mate — to breed
  8. mate — a friend
  9. rock — music
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. rash — hasty
  12. mate — a partner
  13. ball — a dance
  14. rock — a stone
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. board — a committee
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. spring — of water
  20. rash — a series
  21. stock — goods
  22. stock — shares
  23. spring — the season
  24. board — to get on

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