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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: stock · mate · land · cell · rule · key · wake · bulb

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. key — for a lock
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. mate — to breed
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bulb — for light
  8. cell — a phone
  9. cell — in biology
  10. bulb — for light
  11. land — to come down
  12. mate — a friend
  13. land — ground
  14. key — the most important part
  15. key — in music
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. stock — goods
  18. rule — a law
  19. wake — a trail
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. mate — a partner
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. rule — government
  24. stock — shares

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