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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: trunk · spring · lie · land · nail · bulb · face · stock

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bulb — for light
  4. land — to come down
  5. stock — shares
  6. lie — to recline
  7. land — a country
  8. stock — goods
  9. spring — a coil
  10. face — part of the head
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. face — to point toward
  14. bulb — for light
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. face — to confront
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. spring — of water
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. land — ground
  24. trunk — of a tree

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