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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: stock · wake · bulb · band · craft · bark · cell · can

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. cell — a phone
  3. stock — goods
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. wake — a trail
  7. bulb — for light
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. stock — shares
  10. craft — boats
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. craft — a skill
  13. can — to be able to
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. bark — to shout
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. can — a tin
  18. cell — in biology
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. band — a music group
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. band — a ring

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