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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: staff · temple · object · stock · field · row · cold · bulb

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — for light
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — employees
  8. field — a subject
  9. object — a thing
  10. field — farmland
  11. row — a line
  12. stock — shares
  13. object — an aim
  14. stock — goods
  15. row — to paddle
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. field — for sport
  20. cold — an illness
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. object — to protest
  23. staff — a stick
  24. temple — a place of worship

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