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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 · ground · fan · bulb · bat · lean · face · land

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bat — the animal
  5. ground — crushed
  6. ground — a position
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. land — to come down
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. stock — shares
  11. lean — thin
  12. land — a country
  13. face — part of the head
  14. lean — to bend
  15. land — ground
  16. ground — the earth
  17. stock — goods
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. face — to point toward
  21. face — to confront
  22. bulb — for light
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — a supporter

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