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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: mug · racket · spring · court · snap · stock · branch · date

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. spring — the season
  3. mug — to rob
  4. court — for sport
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. court — of a king
  7. date — the fruit
  8. branch — a division
  9. mug — a face
  10. snap — to click
  11. court — of law
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. spring — of water
  18. mug — a cup
  19. spring — a coil
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. stock — shares
  24. stock — goods

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