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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. stock — goods
  4. cell — a phone
  5. bank — for money
  6. charge — electricity
  7. tube — the underground
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. spell — magic
  10. spell — a short time
  11. charge — a price
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. bank — for money
  16. bank — of a river
  17. spell — letters
  18. row — a line
  19. row — to paddle
  20. charge — in control
  21. cell — in biology
  22. tube — a container
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bulb — for light

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