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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: bulb · racket · stock · spring · clip · lean · club · wake

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. spring — of water
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. club — a group
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. club — for golf
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. spring — a coil
  9. spring — the season
  10. lean — to bend
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. bulb — for light
  13. clip — a video
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. club — for dancing
  17. bulb — for light
  18. wake — a trail
  19. lean — thin
  20. stock — shares
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. stock — goods
  24. clip — for paper

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