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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: cold · temple · ruler · cell · bulb · stock

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. stock — goods
  3. cell — in biology
  4. stock — shares
  5. cold — not warm
  6. bulb — for light
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cell — a phone
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. bulb — for light
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. temple — a place of worship

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