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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 · cabinet · content · cue · firm · ground · stock · bass

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. content — happy
  3. spring — the season
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. ground — a position
  6. cue — a signal
  7. spring — a coil
  8. firm — decided
  9. bass — low music
  10. stock — goods
  11. content — the amount
  12. cue — for pool
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. ground — crushed
  16. cue — a hint
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. firm — a company
  19. spring — of water
  20. stock — shares
  21. firm — steady
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. ground — the earth

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