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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.

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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 · lean · bark · bulb · wake · pass · spring · craft

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. craft — boats
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. stock — goods
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. bulb — for light
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. spring — the season
  11. spring — of water
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. craft — a skill
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. spring — a coil
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. bark — to shout
  19. lean — thin
  20. pass — a permit
  21. lean — to bend
  22. wake — a trail
  23. stock — shares
  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