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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
468
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: cell · pass · bass · chest · bulb · branch · stock · capital

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. cell — a phone
  4. chest — a box
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bulb — for light
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. capital — money
  10. chest — of your body
  11. cell — in biology
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bulb — for light
  14. capital — a city
  15. bass — low music
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. branch — a division
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. stock — shares
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. bass — the fish
  23. pass — a permit
  24. branch — of a tree

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