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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · stock · bulb · object · capital · court · foot · tube

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. stock — shares
  3. tube — a container
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. tube — the underground
  7. court — of a king
  8. season — of the year
  9. bulb — for light
  10. court — for sport
  11. stock — goods
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. court — of law
  14. capital — money
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. object — an aim
  17. bulb — for light
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. capital — a city
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. season — in sport
  23. object — a thing
  24. foot — a measure

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