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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: ground · stock · wake · coach · key · bulb · tube · chip

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  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. stock — goods
  2. stock — shares
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — for light
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. tube — a container
  7. ground — a position
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. ground — the earth
  10. key — the most important part
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. chip — to eat
  13. chip — for betting
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. ground — crushed
  16. key — for a lock
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. tube — the underground
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. key — in music
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. wake — a trail
  24. tube — in a tire

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