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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · key · hide · tube · bowl · pitcher · stock · chest

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. chest — of your body
  7. spring — a coil
  8. tube — a container
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. spring — the season
  12. spring — of water
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. key — the most important part
  16. chest — a box
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. stock — shares
  19. stock — goods
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. key — in music
  22. tube — the underground
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. chest — of your body

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