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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: safe · lean · bulb · wound · bass · cold · ground · stock

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bulb — for light
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. bulb — for light
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. ground — crushed
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. stock — goods
  10. wound — an injury
  11. ground — a position
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. lean — to bend
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. stock — shares
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. bass — the fish
  20. cold — an illness
  21. ground — the earth
  22. cold — not warm
  23. lean — thin
  24. bass — low music

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