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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 · toast · stock · pound · jam · cold · spell

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. toast — bread
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. cold — an illness
  7. bear — the animal
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. stock — shares
  10. spell — letters
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. bulb — for light
  13. stock — goods
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. bear — the animal
  17. cold — not warm
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. spell — magic
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. bulb — for light
  22. pound — a weight
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. stock — a soup base

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