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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: chest · chair · stock · bank · bulb · bark · court · pass

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. court — of law
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bank — for money
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bank — of a river
  9. chair — a leader
  10. court — of a king
  11. stock — shares
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. stock — goods
  14. bark — to shout
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. chest — a box
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. bank — for money
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. court — for sport
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. pass — a permit
  24. chest — of your body

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