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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 116 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: stick · stock · board · lie · bulb · face · net · straw

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. stock — goods
  3. board — to get on
  4. net — for catching
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. net — in sport
  9. stock — shares
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. face — part of the head
  12. net — after costs
  13. face — to confront
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. lie — to recline
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. bulb — for light
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. face — to point toward
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. bulb — for light
  24. board — a committee

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