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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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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: bay · stock · craft · toast · bulb · clip · tear · degree

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. clip — a video
  3. degree — temperature
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. clip — to cut
  7. tear — to rip
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. clip — for paper
  11. degree — from a university
  12. degree — an amount
  13. craft — a skill
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. craft — boats
  17. toast — bread
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. stock — goods
  20. bulb — for light
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — from crying
  23. craft — a handicraft
  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