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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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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: bulb · bore · stock · lie · staff · fall · cell · degree

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. degree — temperature
  4. cell — a phone
  5. degree — from a university
  6. bore — to drill
  7. degree — an amount
  8. stock — goods
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. bulb — for light
  12. stock — shares
  13. cell — in biology
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. fall — the season
  18. staff — employees
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. lie — to recline
  21. fall — to drop
  22. bulb — for light
  23. staff — a stick
  24. staff — employees

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