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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: fall · bowl · bulb · fork · stock · pop · plane · march

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. stock — goods
  3. march — the month
  4. stock — shares
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — to drop
  12. pop — to visit
  13. march — music
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. pop — soda
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. plane — a tool
  18. fall — the season
  19. march — the month
  20. fork — in a road
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. bulb — for light

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