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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: nail · spring · stick · leaves · mate · stock · cell · kid

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. spring — a coil
  3. kid — to tease
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. mate — a partner
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. cell — a phone
  12. stock — goods
  13. mate — to breed
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. mate — a friend
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. spring — the season
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. kid — child
  21. spring — of water
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stock — shares
  24. cell — in biology

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