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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: staff · stock · band · hide · spring · mug · mine · bulb

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. mug — a face
  4. staff — a stick
  5. bulb — for light
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. spring — a coil
  8. mug — a cup
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. mug — to rob
  12. stock — shares
  13. stock — goods
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. spring — the season
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. spring — of water
  18. mine — for digging
  19. staff — employees
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. staff — employees
  22. band — a music group
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. band — a ring

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