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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: land · lash · stock · spring · content · cell · kid · bank

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. bank — for money
  4. content — the amount
  5. spring — the season
  6. spring — of water
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. stock — shares
  11. cell — in biology
  12. land — a country
  13. cell — a phone
  14. bank — of a river
  15. bank — for money
  16. kid — to tease
  17. kid — child
  18. land — ground
  19. stock — goods
  20. land — to come down
  21. content — happy
  22. spring — a coil
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. cell — in a prison

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