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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: shower · lean · rest · spring · key · stock · stick · wound

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. stock — goods
  4. stock — shares
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. spring — the season
  10. lean — thin
  11. spring — of water
  12. key — the most important part
  13. wound — an injury
  14. shower — rain
  15. wound — an injury
  16. lean — to bend
  17. spring — a coil
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — a break
  21. key — in music
  22. shower — to wash
  23. rest — what's left
  24. key — for a lock

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