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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: fall · rule · can · hand · hide · stock · bulb · spring

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. fall — to drop
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. rule — government
  8. stock — goods
  9. can — a tin
  10. bulb — for light
  11. fall — the season
  12. bulb — for light
  13. hand — in cards
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. spring — of water
  16. stock — shares
  17. fall — to drop
  18. spring — a coil
  19. can — to be able to
  20. rule — a law
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. hand — help
  23. spring — the season
  24. hide — animal skin

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