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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.

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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: stock · bound · snap · bulb · wound · bear · chest · nail

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. stock — shares
  3. bulb — for light
  4. chest — a box
  5. bound — certain
  6. stock — goods
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bear — the animal
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bound — obliged
  15. chest — of your body
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. chest — of your body
  18. snap — to click
  19. bound — tied together
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bear — the animal

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