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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: stem · spring · season · stock · ruler · net · band · nail

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. spring — the season
  3. season — of the year
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stock — goods
  8. net — for catching
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. band — a music group
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. band — a ring
  13. season — in sport
  14. stock — shares
  15. stem — to come from
  16. net — after costs
  17. spring — a coil
  18. net — in sport
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. spring — of water
  24. ruler — for measuring

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