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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: mine · can · tube · spring · stock · ground · board · race

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. can — to be able to
  3. stock — goods
  4. spring — of water
  5. tube — a container
  6. can — a tin
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. spring — the season
  10. race — a contest
  11. spring — a coil
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. ground — a position
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. tube — the underground
  16. can — a tin
  17. ground — crushed
  18. ground — the earth
  19. stock — shares
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. race — humankind
  22. board — a committee
  23. race — the arms race
  24. mine — for digging

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