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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: kick · bark · bulb · band · date · deal · stock · staff

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. stock — goods
  5. band — a ring
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. staff — employees
  9. band — a music group
  10. kick — in football
  11. bark — to shout
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. date — the fruit
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. staff — employees
  19. deal — to handle
  20. bulb — for light
  21. staff — a stick
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. stock — shares
  24. kick — with a leg

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