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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: bear · can · file · stock · bulb · pop · net · sharp

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. sharp — clever
  4. net — for catching
  5. bulb — for light
  6. can — a tin
  7. pop — to visit
  8. bear — the animal
  9. net — in sport
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — to be able to
  12. pop — music
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. file — a line of people
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. file — a tool
  19. bulb — for light
  20. stock — goods
  21. stock — shares
  22. pop — soda
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. file — a document

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