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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: drill · bowl · stock · bound · shower · game · bulb · pop

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. game — a match
  3. pop — music
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. drill — army training
  7. stock — goods
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. pop — soda
  12. drill — the tool
  13. shower — rain
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bound — certain
  16. stock — shares
  17. game — wild animals
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. bulb — for light
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. bulb — for light
  22. drill — a practice
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. shower — to wash

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