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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: fan · stock · fall · firm · lash · ground · lean · spring

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. spring — the season
  3. lean — to bend
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — to drop
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. firm — a company
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. spring — a coil
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. ground — the earth
  14. stock — goods
  15. lean — thin
  16. ground — a position
  17. ground — crushed
  18. stock — shares
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. firm — decided
  22. firm — steady
  23. fall — the season
  24. fan — to cool the air

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