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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 120 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: key · spring · bank · stock · bound · hide · rash · bat

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. rash — a series
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. stock — shares
  6. spring — a coil
  7. bound — obliged
  8. rash — hasty
  9. bound — certain
  10. bound — tied together
  11. stock — goods
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. bank — of a river
  14. bat — the animal
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. spring — the season
  18. key — the most important part
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. key — in music
  22. bank — for money
  23. key — for a lock
  24. bank — for money

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