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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: bulb · court · tube · key · bat · wave · wound · stock

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. bulb — for light
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. stock — shares
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. key — for a lock
  9. court — of a king
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. stock — goods
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bat — the animal
  16. court — for sport
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. tube — a container
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. court — of law
  22. tube — the underground
  23. key — in music
  24. key — the most important part

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