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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: root · march · rash · spell · bound · pitcher · stock · bulb

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. spell — letters
  4. stock — shares
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. march — music
  8. stock — goods
  9. root — the cause
  10. bound — obliged
  11. root — of a word
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. bound — tied together
  14. march — the month
  15. bulb — for light
  16. march — the month
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. root — of a plant
  19. spell — magic
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rash — a series
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bound — certain

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