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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: stem · tear · bulb · net · spring · swing · nail · stock

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — for light
  4. stem — to come from
  5. net — after costs
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. tear — to rip
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. net — in sport
  10. swing — to play on
  11. stock — goods
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. swing — in golf
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — from crying
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. spring — the season
  19. stock — shares
  20. spring — a coil
  21. net — for catching
  22. swing — music
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. spring — of water

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