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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 · spring · stick · fan · spell · object · rash · pop

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. stock — shares
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rash — a series
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. object — a thing
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. pop — to visit
  9. pop — music
  10. spell — magic
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. spring — the season
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. spring — of water
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. spring — a coil
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. object — an aim
  19. object — to protest
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. stock — goods
  23. spell — a short time
  24. pop — soda

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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