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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: stock · spring · lash · staff · can · bound · race · mug

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. spring — the season
  4. staff — employees
  5. mug — a cup
  6. bound — certain
  7. bound — tied together
  8. spring — a coil
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. stock — shares
  11. staff — a stick
  12. bound — obliged
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. race — the arms race
  15. race — a contest
  16. staff — employees
  17. can — a tin
  18. mug — a face
  19. can — to be able to
  20. stock — goods
  21. race — humankind
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. spring — of water
  24. mug — to rob

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