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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: capital · race · track · bulb · stock · cell · bear · nail

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. stock — shares
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. track — a path
  5. race — the arms race
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. capital — a city
  8. capital — money
  9. race — humankind
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — for light
  16. stock — goods
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. cell — in biology
  19. race — a contest
  20. bear — the animal
  21. track — to keep track
  22. track — a song
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bear — the animal

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