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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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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: perch · mate · pit · cell · bulb · craft · march · stock

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. bulb — for light
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. pit — in a race
  6. mate — to breed
  7. stock — shares
  8. cell — a phone
  9. perch — the fish
  10. mate — a partner
  11. march — the month
  12. stock — goods
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. pit — a hole
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. march — the month
  17. mate — a friend
  18. march — music
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. cell — in biology
  21. bulb — for light
  22. craft — boats
  23. craft — a skill
  24. craft — a handicraft

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