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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 120 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: march · bulb · ball · mug · saw · stock · spell · straw

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. stock — shares
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. march — the month
  5. march — music
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. ball — a great time
  10. mug — a face
  11. spell — letters
  12. mug — to rob
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. bulb — for light
  16. saw — the tool
  17. march — the month
  18. stock — goods
  19. ball — a dance
  20. spell — a short time
  21. bulb — for light
  22. spell — magic
  23. saw — the tool
  24. straw — a straw man

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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