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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 · tube · cap · craft · bulb · tear · pitch · bank

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. stock — goods
  3. bank — for money
  4. bank — for money
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. craft — a skill
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cap — a hat
  9. tear — from crying
  10. craft — boats
  11. tube — a container
  12. cap — of ice
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tube — the underground
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. tear — to rip
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. stock — shares
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bank — of a river
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. pitch — completely
  24. bulb — for light

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