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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: stock · pitcher · staff · spring · deal · wind · mate · game

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. mate — a friend
  4. staff — employees
  5. wind — moving air
  6. staff — employees
  7. spring — of water
  8. mate — to breed
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. spring — a coil
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. staff — a stick
  13. mate — a partner
  14. stock — shares
  15. game — wild animals
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. wind — moving air
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. spring — the season
  22. stock — goods
  23. game — a match
  24. deal — a big deal

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