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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: club · fan · bulb · clip · ball · bank · stock · degree

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. bank — for money
  4. club — a group
  5. bulb — for light
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bank — of a river
  9. stock — shares
  10. degree — an amount
  11. stock — goods
  12. bank — for money
  13. ball — a great time
  14. bulb — for light
  15. club — for golf
  16. degree — temperature
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. degree — from a university
  19. club — for dancing
  20. clip — to cut
  21. clip — for paper
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. ball — a dance
  24. clip — a video

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