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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: bulb · wound · root · game · toast · arm · stock · bay

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. bulb — for light
  7. stock — shares
  8. game — wild animals
  9. root — the cause
  10. wound — an injury
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. game — a match
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. root — of a plant
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. stock — goods
  20. root — of a word
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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