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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: spring · bulb · stick · race · deal · squash · wax · stock

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. stock — shares
  3. bulb — for light
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. stock — goods
  6. deal — to handle
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. squash — to crush
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. squash — the sport
  11. spring — the season
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. spring — a coil
  15. race — the arms race
  16. race — a contest
  17. spring — of water
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. wax — to grow
  22. bulb — for light
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. squash — the vegetable

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