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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: bulb · object · leaves · stock · key · wake · file · bound

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. key — the most important part
  3. stock — goods
  4. stock — shares
  5. key — for a lock
  6. file — a tool
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. object — a thing
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. bound — obliged
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. key — in music
  15. wake — a trail
  16. file — a document
  17. bound — certain
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bound — tied together
  20. file — a line of people
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. bulb — for light
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. object — to protest

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