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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 120 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: rock · saw · nail · racket · pass · stock · craft · spring

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. saw — the tool
  3. rock — music
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. pass — a permit
  8. craft — boats
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. craft — a skill
  12. saw — the tool
  13. rock — a stone
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. spring — a coil
  16. spring — the season
  17. stock — shares
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. spring — of water
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. stock — goods
  24. nail — for a hammer

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