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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: press · track · bulb · craft · wind · lash · court · stock

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. bulb — for light
  3. stock — goods
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. stock — shares
  7. press — a publisher
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. wind — moving air
  11. press — newspapers
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. track — to keep track
  15. track — a path
  16. wind — moving air
  17. track — a song
  18. court — for sport
  19. press — to push
  20. bulb — for light
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. court — of law
  23. craft — boats
  24. craft — a skill

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