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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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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: tube · bulb · kid · row · content · club · stock · march

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. stock — goods
  4. march — music
  5. kid — child
  6. bulb — for light
  7. tube — a container
  8. stock — shares
  9. content — the amount
  10. content — happy
  11. march — the month
  12. row — a line
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. club — for golf
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. kid — to tease
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. club — a group
  19. march — the month
  20. bulb — for light
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. tube — the underground
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. club — for dancing

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