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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: chair · band · spring · stock · key · wax · roll · bulb

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. band — a ring
  3. key — in music
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. spring — a coil
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. stock — goods
  9. roll — a cake
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. bulb — for light
  12. key — the most important part
  13. bulb — for light
  14. chair — a leader
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. band — a music group
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. spring — the season
  20. key — for a lock
  21. spring — of water
  22. stock — shares
  23. wax — to grow
  24. roll — a list

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