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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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468
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: nail · bowl · capital · stock · racket · mug · bulb · leaves

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  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. bowl — a dish
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. stock — shares
  7. stock — goods
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. capital — a city
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. mug — a cup
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. capital — money
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. mug — a face
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. mug — to rob
  23. bulb — for light
  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