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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: pound · saw · season · bulb · root · present · stock · mouse

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. bulb — for light
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. root — of a word
  7. season — in sport
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. pound — a weight
  10. season — of the year
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. present — the time now
  18. root — of a plant
  19. bulb — for light
  20. present — a gift
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. present — there
  23. root — the cause
  24. stock — shares

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