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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: bulb · stock · cabinet · date · drill · season · rock · kick

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. stock — shares
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. bulb — for light
  7. drill — a practice
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. date — the fruit
  10. rock — music
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. stock — goods
  15. season — of the year
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. drill — the tool
  19. kick — in football
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. bulb — for light
  23. season — in sport
  24. rock — a stone

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