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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: stock · content · bulb · bear · ball · temple · craft · prune

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. prune — to trim
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. content — happy
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. bulb — for light
  7. ball — a great time
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bulb — for light
  12. craft — boats
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. content — the amount
  16. bear — the animal
  17. ball — a dance
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. stock — goods
  20. stock — shares
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. craft — a skill
  23. prune — to trim
  24. ball — a round shape

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