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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 120 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: spring · pop · ground · cabinet · mate · wound · rest · stock

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. rest — what's left
  4. ground — crushed
  5. ground — the earth
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. wound — an injury
  8. rest — what's left
  9. ground — a position
  10. spring — a coil
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. pop — soda
  13. spring — of water
  14. wound — an injury
  15. rest — a break
  16. pop — to visit
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. mate — a partner
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. spring — the season
  21. mate — a friend
  22. mate — to breed
  23. stock — goods
  24. stock — shares

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