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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
468
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: rest · cold · lean · stock · season · bulb · wave · cabinet

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. season — of the year
  5. rest — what's left
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. stock — goods
  8. bulb — for light
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. season — in sport
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bulb — for light
  14. cold — not warm
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. cold — an illness
  18. stock — shares
  19. rest — what's left
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. rest — a break
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. lean — thin
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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