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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: club · tear · bulb · cue · mine · stock · spring · mouse

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. stock — shares
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. stock — goods
  6. cue — for pool
  7. mine — for digging
  8. bulb — for light
  9. cue — a signal
  10. spring — a coil
  11. cue — a hint
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bulb — for light
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. tear — from crying
  16. spring — of water
  17. club — a group
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. club — for dancing
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. spring — the season
  22. tear — to rip
  23. club — for golf
  24. mine — belonging to me

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