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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: stock · saw · arm · lie · bulb · hand · date · leaves

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. saw — the tool
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. lie — to recline
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bulb — for light
  8. saw — the tool
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. stock — goods
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. date — the fruit
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. hand — in cards
  17. stock — shares
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bulb — for light
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. hand — help
  24. lie — an untruth

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