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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: stock · object · spring · mate · lean · squash · board · fine

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. lean — thin
  3. mate — a partner
  4. board — to get on
  5. lean — to bend
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. mate — to breed
  10. spring — the season
  11. mate — a friend
  12. object — to protest
  13. stock — goods
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. board — a committee
  16. fine — all right
  17. squash — to crush
  18. fine — high quality
  19. stock — shares
  20. squash — the sport
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. spring — a coil
  23. object — a thing
  24. spring — of water

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