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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: hide · bat · tube · safe · stock · bulb · cell · track

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. cell — a phone
  3. bulb — for light
  4. stock — goods
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. tube — the underground
  7. track — a path
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. tube — a container
  11. track — a song
  12. bat — the animal
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. track — to keep track
  19. cell — in biology
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. stock — shares
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bulb — for light
  24. hide — to keep secret

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