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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 120 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: bark · cell · saw · staff · bulb · chair · stock · scale

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. cell — in biology
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. staff — employees
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. bulb — for light
  10. stock — goods
  11. scale — in music
  12. stock — shares
  13. scale — size or range
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bark — to shout
  16. chair — a leader
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. bulb — for light
  19. staff — employees
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. staff — a stick
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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