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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: bulb · net · rash · straw · degree · bound · lie · stock

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. rash — hasty
  5. bulb — for light
  6. stock — shares
  7. stock — goods
  8. degree — temperature
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bound — certain
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. net — in sport
  14. net — after costs
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. bound — tied together
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. net — for catching
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — to recline
  21. rash — a series
  22. degree — from a university
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bound — obliged

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