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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: last · scale · stock · fan · spring · wound · leaves · ball

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. scale — in music
  5. spring — a coil
  6. last — to go on
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. wound — an injury
  10. spring — of water
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. stock — shares
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. ball — a great time
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. last — finally
  17. last — final
  18. stock — goods
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. wound — an injury
  21. ball — a dance
  22. scale — size or range
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. scale — for weighing

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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