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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: chair · club · stock · bulb · mate · cell · bound · pitcher

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. stock — goods
  3. bound — obliged
  4. club — for dancing
  5. club — a group
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bound — certain
  8. stock — shares
  9. bulb — for light
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. mate — a friend
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. club — for golf
  17. mate — to breed
  18. chair — a leader
  19. cell — in biology
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. mate — a partner
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. bound — tied together

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