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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: band · craft · object · spring · ground · sharp · stock · temple

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. spring — of water
  6. object — to protest
  7. craft — boats
  8. spring — a coil
  9. sharp — clever
  10. ground — a position
  11. ground — the earth
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. stock — goods
  14. ground — crushed
  15. craft — a skill
  16. spring — the season
  17. band — a music group
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. stock — shares
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. object — a thing
  24. band — a ring

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