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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: stock · spring · deal · file · date · mouse · rash · lean

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. stock — goods
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. spring — of water
  5. rash — hasty
  6. spring — a coil
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. date — the fruit
  9. stock — shares
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. lean — to bend
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. rash — a series
  15. lean — thin
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. file — a line of people
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. deal — to handle
  22. file — a tool
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. file — a document

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