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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: season · stock · key · stick · spring · band · rule · clip

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. season — of the year
  3. key — in music
  4. band — a music group
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. clip — to cut
  7. spring — a coil
  8. season — in sport
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. band — a ring
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. clip — for paper
  13. stock — shares
  14. key — for a lock
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. rule — a law
  18. clip — a video
  19. key — the most important part
  20. spring — the season
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. spring — of water
  24. rule — government

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