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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: lean · spring · stock · prune · coach · bass · season · mark

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. spring — the season
  5. season — in sport
  6. stock — goods
  7. spring — a coil
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. mark — a grade
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. lean — to bend
  15. mark — a trace
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. lean — thin
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. bass — low music
  20. bass — the fish
  21. spring — of water
  22. prune — to trim
  23. season — of the year
  24. prune — to trim

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