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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.

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: squash · spring · staff · stock · pitcher · face · spell · shower

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. stock — goods
  3. spring — a coil
  4. squash — to crush
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. spell — letters
  10. spring — the season
  11. spell — magic
  12. shower — rain
  13. spell — a short time
  14. face — to point toward
  15. staff — employees
  16. squash — the sport
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. shower — to wash
  19. stock — shares
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — a stick
  23. face — to confront
  24. spring — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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