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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 · tear · bulb · pound · game · stock · lean · calf

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. game — wild animals
  5. spring — the season
  6. bulb — for light
  7. lean — thin
  8. tear — from crying
  9. game — a match
  10. spring — a coil
  11. stock — goods
  12. lean — to bend
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — to rip
  15. stock — shares
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bulb — for light
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. pound — a weight

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