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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: pound · field · kid · stock · firm · bulb · cell · suit

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. stock — goods
  3. suit — clothes
  4. firm — decided
  5. pound — a weight
  6. firm — steady
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. kid — to tease
  9. cell — a phone
  10. bulb — for light
  11. cell — in biology
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. field — for sport
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kid — child
  16. field — a subject
  17. firm — a company
  18. field — farmland
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. suit — in cards
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. suit — to fit
  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