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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: kid · stock · staff · bulb · wave · foot · spring · pound

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. spring — the season
  7. bulb — for light
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. spring — a coil
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. staff — employees
  15. stock — goods
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — a stick
  18. stock — shares
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. kid — child
  21. kid — to tease
  22. bulb — for light
  23. pound — a weight
  24. foot — a measure

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