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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.

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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: net · bear · dip · stock · bulb · bat · mug · mine

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. bat — the animal
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bulb — for light
  8. mug — to rob
  9. mug — a face
  10. stock — goods
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. net — after costs
  14. bear — the animal
  15. stock — shares
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. net — in sport
  18. dip — to sink
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bulb — for light
  22. mug — a cup
  23. net — for catching
  24. bear — to put up with

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