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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bulb — for light
  4. capital — money
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. bark — to shout
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. wind — moving air
  9. suit — in cards
  10. spring — of water
  11. bank — for money
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bulb — for light
  14. suit — clothes
  15. stock — shares
  16. bank — of a river
  17. capital — a city
  18. suit — to fit
  19. bank — for money
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. spring — the season
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. stock — goods

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