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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: staff · stock · fan · spring · can · last · bulb · hand

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. hand — in cards
  3. last — to go on
  4. can — to be able to
  5. can — a tin
  6. hand — help
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. staff — a stick
  9. staff — employees
  10. last — final
  11. can — a tin
  12. spring — a coil
  13. stock — goods
  14. spring — of water
  15. bulb — for light
  16. stock — shares
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bulb — for light
  20. last — finally
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. staff — employees
  24. hand — part of the body

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