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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 · chest · row · deal · track · cue · spring · land

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. row — to paddle
  3. cue — a hint
  4. land — to come down
  5. spring — a coil
  6. cue — for pool
  7. deal — to handle
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. track — a path
  10. cue — a signal
  11. chest — a box
  12. stock — shares
  13. chest — of your body
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. spring — of water
  17. chest — of your body
  18. row — a line
  19. stock — goods
  20. land — a country
  21. track — a song
  22. land — ground
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. track — to keep track

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