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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: rock · rule · bulb · mine · chest · pound · stock · jam

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. pound — a weight
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. bulb — for light
  7. chest — of your body
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. chest — of your body
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. mine — for digging
  15. rule — a law
  16. rock — music
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. rule — government
  19. rock — a stone
  20. stock — shares
  21. stock — goods
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. chest — a box
  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