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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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468
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: cold · stock · bank · foot · spring · safe · pitch · spell

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. cold — not warm
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. stock — shares
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. stock — goods
  8. bank — for money
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. bank — for money
  11. cold — an illness
  12. spell — letters
  13. spring — the season
  14. foot — a measure
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. pitch — completely
  17. bank — of a river
  18. spell — a short time
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. spring — of water
  24. spring — a coil

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