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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 116 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 · mine · stick · pass · fine · bulb · last · stock

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. staff — employees
  3. stock — shares
  4. staff — employees
  5. last — final
  6. fine — all right
  7. stock — goods
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. fine — high quality
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. staff — a stick
  13. mine — for digging
  14. bulb — for light
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. pass — a permit
  18. bulb — for light
  19. last — finally
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. last — to go on

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