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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: march · stock · bat · kid · mine · bulb · lash · plane

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. stock — goods
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. bulb — for light
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. kid — to tease
  8. kid — child
  9. march — the month
  10. mine — for digging
  11. bat — the animal
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. stock — shares
  14. march — the month
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. bulb — for light
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. plane — a tool
  24. march — music

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