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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.

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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: spring · bore · fall · net · saw · stock · spell · lash

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. spring — a coil
  5. fall — the season
  6. net — for catching
  7. spell — magic
  8. fall — to drop
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. spell — a short time
  11. bore — to tire
  12. saw — the tool
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bore — to drill
  15. net — in sport
  16. spring — of water
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. spring — the season
  19. stock — goods
  20. stock — shares
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. spell — letters
  23. saw — the tool
  24. net — after costs

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