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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: ground · root · craft · stock · bulb · clip · file · jam

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. bulb — for light
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. file — a line of people
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. stock — goods
  8. clip — to cut
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. bulb — for light
  11. ground — crushed
  12. craft — boats
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. ground — the earth
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. root — the cause
  17. file — a document
  18. clip — a video
  19. ground — a position
  20. clip — for paper
  21. root — of a plant
  22. root — of a word
  23. craft — a skill
  24. file — a tool

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