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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · net · rash · craft · mate · stock · foot · bear

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. mate — to breed
  3. craft — a skill
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. foot — a measure
  7. spring — the season
  8. spring — of water
  9. spring — a coil
  10. mate — a friend
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. stock — shares
  13. mate — a partner
  14. net — after costs
  15. craft — boats
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. rash — a series
  18. net — in sport
  19. stock — goods
  20. bear — the animal
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. net — for catching
  23. bear — the animal
  24. foot — the bottom

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