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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: cap · bulb · chip · stock · file · spring · ruler · coach

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. cap — of ice
  4. file — a document
  5. spring — the season
  6. spring — of water
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. spring — a coil
  12. chip — for betting
  13. cap — a hat
  14. bulb — for light
  15. file — a tool
  16. chip — to eat
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. cap — a lid
  19. file — a line of people
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. bulb — for light
  23. stock — shares
  24. chip — in a computer

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