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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 116 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 · plane · ground · stock · march · firm · pit · mate

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. pit — a hole
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. march — music
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. stock — goods
  9. mate — a friend
  10. stock — shares
  11. march — the month
  12. mate — a partner
  13. ground — crushed
  14. firm — a company
  15. spring — a coil
  16. pit — in a race
  17. ground — a position
  18. firm — decided
  19. firm — steady
  20. spring — of water
  21. march — the month
  22. mate — to breed
  23. ground — the earth
  24. plane — a tool

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