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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: season · fall · rash · spring · lean · deal · stock · saw

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. season — of the year
  3. fall — the season
  4. fall — to drop
  5. spring — a coil
  6. saw — the tool
  7. spring — the season
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. lean — thin
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. stock — shares
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. rash — a series
  16. spring — of water
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. season — in sport
  19. fall — to drop
  20. stock — goods
  21. rash — hasty
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. saw — the tool
  24. deal — to handle

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