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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: stand · ball · craft · bowl · cold · stock · spell · lean

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. craft — a skill
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. spell — letters
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. lean — to bend
  8. cold — not warm
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. stand — to bear
  14. lean — thin
  15. stock — goods
  16. craft — boats
  17. ball — a dance
  18. spell — magic
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. cold — an illness
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. ball — a great time
  23. stock — shares
  24. spell — a short time

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