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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: season · file · chip · squash · bulb · saw · stock · spell

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. stock — goods
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. squash — to crush
  5. spell — letters
  6. chip — for betting
  7. season — of the year
  8. squash — the sport
  9. saw — the tool
  10. season — in sport
  11. bulb — for light
  12. file — a line of people
  13. saw — the tool
  14. spell — a short time
  15. spell — magic
  16. stock — shares
  17. chip — to eat
  18. bulb — for light
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. file — a tool
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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