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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. stock — goods
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. charge — in control
  5. roll — a cake
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. season — in sport
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. stock — shares
  13. shower — rain
  14. shower — to wash
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. stem — to come from
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. roll — a list
  21. charge — electricity
  22. season — of the year
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. charge — a price

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