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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: swing · stock · bulb · tube · wound · stand · spring · lie

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. swing — in golf
  3. bulb — for light
  4. tube — the underground
  5. swing — to play on
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. stock — shares
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. spring — a coil
  12. wound — an injury
  13. stock — goods
  14. spring — the season
  15. bulb — for light
  16. stand — to bear
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. wound — an injury
  21. spring — of water
  22. swing — music
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — to recline

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