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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: mine · stand · band · bulb · straw · lie

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. mine — for digging
  3. bulb — for light
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. bulb — for light
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. band — a ring
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. band — a music group
  10. stand — to bear
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. lie — to recline
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. stand — on your feet

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