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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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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: roll · file · temple · snap · bulb · tear · toast · stock

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. toast — bread
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. roll — a cake
  6. tear — from crying
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. file — a line of people
  9. roll — a list
  10. stock — goods
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. file — a tool
  15. bulb — for light
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. bulb — for light
  18. tear — to rip
  19. file — a document
  20. tear — from crying
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. stock — shares
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. stock — a soup base

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