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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 · lean · lie · fork · foot · mine · rash · spell

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. rash — a series
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. stock — shares
  9. mine — for digging
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. stock — goods
  13. foot — a measure
  14. lean — thin
  15. lie — to recline
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. spell — magic
  19. spell — letters
  20. lean — to bend
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. rash — hasty
  23. fork — in a road
  24. spell — a short time

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