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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 · lash · game · tube · spring · bulb · rash · staff

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. stock — goods
  7. stock — shares
  8. tube — the underground
  9. game — wild animals
  10. spring — of water
  11. staff — employees
  12. game — a match
  13. tube — a container
  14. bulb — for light
  15. staff — a stick
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. spring — the season
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. rash — a series
  21. spring — a coil
  22. staff — employees
  23. bulb — for light
  24. tube — in a tire

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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