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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 116 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
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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: present · stock · mate · bound · kick · spring · coach · scale

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. present — there
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. mate — to breed
  6. present — the time now
  7. scale — size or range
  8. bound — tied together
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. bound — obliged
  11. mate — a partner
  12. spring — of water
  13. scale — in music
  14. mate — a friend
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. spring — the season
  17. kick — in football
  18. stock — goods
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bound — certain
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. stock — shares
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. spring — a coil

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