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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 116 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: cold · pass · stock · board · spring · bulb · current · wax

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cold — not warm
  3. spring — the season
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. board — to get on
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. stock — shares
  9. pass — a permit
  10. stock — goods
  11. current — happening now
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. current — electric
  14. spring — a coil
  15. board — a committee
  16. bulb — for light
  17. wax — to grow
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. current — of water
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. spring — of water
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. cold — an illness

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