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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 116 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: court · key · saw · wave · spring · rash · plane · stock

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. court — of a king
  3. spring — a coil
  4. spring — of water
  5. spring — the season
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. key — the most important part
  8. saw — the tool
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. rash — hasty
  11. court — for sport
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. court — of law
  14. key — in music
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. plane — a tool
  18. stock — goods
  19. saw — the tool
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. rash — a series
  24. key — for a lock

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