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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · land · bulb · wound · stick · fine · kick · roll

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. bulb — for light
  3. land — to come down
  4. fine — all right
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. bulb — for light
  8. roll — a list
  9. wound — an injury
  10. stock — goods
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. land — a country
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. kick — in football
  16. fine — high quality
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. roll — a cake
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. land — ground
  23. wound — an injury
  24. stock — shares

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