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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: club · spring · rock · mine · wave · pit · ball · stock

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. mine — for digging
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. spring — a coil
  8. pit — a hole
  9. pit — in a race
  10. club — for golf
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. spring — the season
  13. club — a group
  14. club — for dancing
  15. stock — goods
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. ball — a great time
  19. ball — a dance
  20. rock — music
  21. spring — of water
  22. stock — shares
  23. rock — a stone
  24. stock — a soup base

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