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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: board · spring · capital · pound · stem · stock · fork · bulb

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. spring — of water
  3. bulb — for light
  4. board — a committee
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. board — to get on
  7. capital — money
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — a coil
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. capital — a city
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. pound — a weight
  17. bulb — for light
  18. stem — to come from
  19. stock — shares
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. stock — goods
  23. fork — in a road
  24. pound — to hit hard

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