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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 · stock · content · lash · bound · spring · deal · court

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. stock — shares
  4. content — the amount
  5. bound — obliged
  6. spring — a coil
  7. court — for sport
  8. stock — goods
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bound — certain
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. court — of law
  14. deal — to handle
  15. content — happy
  16. court — of a king
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. spring — of water
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. mate — to breed
  22. spring — the season
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. mate — a partner

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