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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: can · chest · spring · chair · bound · stock · stick · bowl

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. chest — a box
  3. bound — certain
  4. can — a tin
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. spring — of water
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. bound — tied together
  11. spring — a coil
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. can — to be able to
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. chair — a leader
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. stock — goods
  21. chest — of your body
  22. can — a tin
  23. stock — shares
  24. spring — the season

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