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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: nail · ball · stock · rule · spring · bulb

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. spring — the season
  3. stock — shares
  4. spring — of water
  5. spring — a coil
  6. bulb — for light
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. stock — goods
  9. ball — a great time
  10. rule — a law
  11. bulb — for light
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. rule — government
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. ball — a dance
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. ball — a round shape

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