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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
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: ground · mine · board · rest · stock · rash · present · spring

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  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. present — a gift
  2. rash — hasty
  3. mine — for digging
  4. spring — a coil
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. spring — of water
  7. rest — what's left
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. present — there
  10. spring — the season
  11. ground — crushed
  12. stock — shares
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. present — the time now
  15. rash — a series
  16. board — a committee
  17. rest — a break
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. ground — a position
  20. rest — what's left
  21. stock — goods
  22. board — to get on
  23. ground — the earth
  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