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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 116 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: bear · stock · spring · bulb · hand · rush · present · cue

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. present — a gift
  3. spring — the season
  4. stock — shares
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rush — hurry
  9. hand — help
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bulb — for light
  15. spring — of water
  16. bear — the animal
  17. cue — a signal
  18. cue — a hint
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. present — there
  21. present — the time now
  22. spring — a coil
  23. hand — in cards
  24. cue — for pool

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