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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 116 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: bowl · cap · bulb · tear · stock · prune · charge · perch

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. prune — to trim
  3. cap — of ice
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cap — a lid
  6. charge — a price
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. prune — to trim
  12. charge — electricity
  13. tear — to rip
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. stock — goods
  17. charge — in control
  18. stock — shares
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. perch — the fish
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. tear — from crying

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