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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: spring · band · stock · bowl · net · ball · pound · patient

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. stock — shares
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. spring — the season
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. band — a music group
  9. net — in sport
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. net — after costs
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. stock — goods
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. ball — a great time
  16. pound — a weight
  17. spring — a coil
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. net — for catching
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. band — a ring
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. spring — of water

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