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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 120 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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. stock — shares
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. hand — in cards
  7. stock — goods
  8. file — a tool
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. file — a document
  11. prune — to trim
  12. current — of water
  13. tube — the underground
  14. scale — in music
  15. current — electric
  16. hand — help
  17. bulb — for light
  18. current — happening now
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bulb — for light
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. tube — a container
  24. file — a line of people

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