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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: mine · lash · arm · stock · bulb · file · net · bound

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. file — a tool
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. bound — obliged
  5. net — for catching
  6. file — a line of people
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. net — in sport
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bound — tied together
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. stock — goods
  16. net — after costs
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. bound — certain
  19. file — a document
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. mine — for digging
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. stock — shares
  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