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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: stock · mine · board · rash · tube · lie · saw · chest

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. stock — goods
  3. tube — the underground
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rash — a series
  8. rash — hasty
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. tube — a container
  11. chest — a box
  12. stock — shares
  13. saw — the tool
  14. board — a committee
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. board — to get on
  17. chest — of your body
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. chest — of your body
  21. lie — to recline
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. saw — the tool
  24. mine — belonging to me

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