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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: chair · arm · wake · bulb · last · mug · game · stock

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. last — final
  4. game — a match
  5. chair — a leader
  6. last — to go on
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. mug — a face
  9. stock — goods
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. bulb — for light
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. stock — shares
  14. last — finally
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. wake — a trail
  18. mug — to rob
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. game — wild animals
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. bulb — for light
  23. mug — a cup
  24. chair — a professorship

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