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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 · fork · toast · ground · last · stock · capital · stand

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. stock — goods
  3. toast — bread
  4. fork — in a road
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. stand — to bear
  9. stock — shares
  10. last — to go on
  11. last — final
  12. capital — money
  13. capital — a city
  14. ground — the earth
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. ground — a position
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. bulb — for light
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. ground — crushed

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