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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: pop · land · bound · cap · lie · stock · pitcher · bulb

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. stock — goods
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pop — soda
  5. land — ground
  6. lie — to recline
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. pop — to visit
  11. bound — certain
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bulb — for light
  14. cap — a hat
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bound — obliged
  17. stock — shares
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pop — music
  20. bound — tied together
  21. cap — a lid
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. land — a country
  24. land — to come down

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