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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 116 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.

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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: bulb · pit · chair · stick · scale · march · content · bark

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bulb — for light
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. march — the month
  8. pit — a hole
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. march — music
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. march — the month
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. scale — size or range
  18. pit — in a race
  19. chair — a leader
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. content — the amount
  22. bulb — for light
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. scale — in music

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