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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: mate · kick · stock · chip · wave · band · swing · spring

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. kick — in football
  3. stock — shares
  4. mate — a friend
  5. chip — to eat
  6. spring — the season
  7. mate — to breed
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. stock — goods
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. spring — of water
  13. swing — in golf
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. band — a music group
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. swing — to play on
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. band — a ring
  22. mate — a partner
  23. swing — music
  24. chip — for betting

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