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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: cold · stock · bear · spring · band · mug · deal · nail

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. bear — the animal
  4. spring — a coil
  5. mug — a cup
  6. band — a ring
  7. deal — to handle
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. spring — the season
  10. stock — shares
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. stock — goods
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. mug — to rob
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. cold — an illness
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. spring — of water
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. band — a music group
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. cold — not warm
  24. bear — the animal

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