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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: bulb · spring · race · bat · hand · stock · trunk · bank

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. race — the arms race
  3. bulb — for light
  4. hand — help
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. spring — a coil
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. race — humankind
  10. stock — goods
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. bank — for money
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bank — for money
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. race — a contest
  17. spring — of water
  18. bank — of a river
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. spring — the season
  22. bulb — for light
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. stock — shares

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