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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: bulb · ball · roll · chest · hand · nail · cabinet · stock

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. stock — goods
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. bulb — for light
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. chest — of your body
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. chest — a box
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. ball — a great time
  14. roll — a list
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bulb — for light
  17. ball — a dance
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. hand — help
  20. roll — a cake
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. chest — of your body
  23. hand — in cards
  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