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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: game · hide · prune · bulb · march · stock · bowl · content

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. march — music
  3. march — the month
  4. stock — goods
  5. prune — to trim
  6. stock — shares
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. march — the month
  10. content — the amount
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. game — a match
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. game — wild animals
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. content — happy
  21. bulb — for light
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bulb — for light

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