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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.

Words on the sheet
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: pass · stock · pound · land · chest · spring · row · craft

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. row — to paddle
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. row — a line
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. chest — of your body
  8. pound — a weight
  9. land — a country
  10. spring — a coil
  11. spring — the season
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. land — to come down
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — a box
  17. land — ground
  18. spring — of water
  19. pass — a permit
  20. craft — boats
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. craft — a skill
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. stock — shares

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