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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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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 · mark · spring · bulb · suit · jam · cold · rash

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. spring — of water
  3. cold — not warm
  4. stock — goods
  5. rash — a series
  6. suit — clothes
  7. spring — a coil
  8. bulb — for light
  9. spring — the season
  10. suit — to fit
  11. mark — a trace
  12. cold — an illness
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. mark — a grade
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. rash — hasty
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. suit — in cards
  22. stock — shares
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. bulb — of a plant

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