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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · bulb · game · leaves · stock · lie · saw · pitcher

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. stock — shares
  8. stock — goods
  9. game — wild animals
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. bulb — for light
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. bulb — for light
  20. game — a match
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — for digging
  24. stock — a soup base

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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