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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 · board · net · saw · scale · cell · face · bulb

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. board — a committee
  3. bulb — for light
  4. face — part of the head
  5. stock — goods
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. scale — in music
  8. face — to point toward
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. net — in sport
  11. cell — in biology
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. net — for catching
  14. board — to get on
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. face — to confront
  18. cell — a phone
  19. stock — shares
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. scale — size or range
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bulb — for light
  24. saw — the tool

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