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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: sharp · stock · mug · hand · bulb · saw · bat · spring

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. sharp — clever
  4. spring — the season
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. saw — the tool
  8. mug — a cup
  9. spring — of water
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. bulb — for light
  13. hand — help
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. spring — a coil
  16. saw — the tool
  17. hand — in cards
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. stock — goods
  21. mug — to rob
  22. stock — shares
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. mug — a face

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