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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: bear · bulb · band · track · season · lash · cold · stock

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. stock — goods
  5. bear — the animal
  6. track — a song
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. cold — not warm
  9. band — a ring
  10. band — a music group
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. stock — shares
  15. bulb — for light
  16. track — a path
  17. season — of the year
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. bear — the animal
  23. track — to keep track
  24. cold — an illness

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