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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: lash · game · wound · pitcher · stand · spring · stock · pound

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  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. game — a kind of play
  2. spring — a coil
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. stock — goods
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. wound — an injury
  8. pound — a weight
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. stock — shares
  11. game — wild animals
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. wound — an injury
  16. game — a match
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. stand — to bear
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. spring — the season
  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