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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: spring · drill · chest · object · wake · stock · rock · coach

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. stock — goods
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. drill — army training
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. spring — of water
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. drill — the tool
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. spring — the season
  11. rock — a stone
  12. rock — music
  13. chest — of your body
  14. stock — shares
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. spring — a coil
  17. wake — a trail
  18. object — to protest
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. object — an aim
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. object — a thing
  23. drill — a practice
  24. chest — a box

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