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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 · fall · racket · face · bay · stock · pitcher · spring

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. spring — of water
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. fall — to drop
  7. stock — goods
  8. face — part of the head
  9. fall — the season
  10. spring — the season
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. face — to confront
  14. face — to point toward
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. mine — for digging
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. spring — a coil
  21. stock — shares
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. fall — to drop

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