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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: content · coach · bulb · mark · trunk · scale · pitcher · stock

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. stock — shares
  12. mark — a trace
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. content — the amount
  16. bulb — for light
  17. stock — goods
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. mark — a grade
  20. bulb — for light
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. scale — size or range
  23. scale — in music
  24. coach — a trainer

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