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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 124 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: lie · stock · key · bulb · straw · spell · land · chest

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. land — ground
  3. chest — a box
  4. key — for a lock
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. stock — goods
  8. bulb — for light
  9. chest — of your body
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. spell — letters
  12. chest — of your body
  13. stock — shares
  14. land — a country
  15. spell — magic
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. spell — a short time
  18. lie — to recline
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. key — the most important part
  22. land — to come down
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. key — in music

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