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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.

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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: stock · lie · bound · chest · pit · prune · staff · club

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. staff — employees
  3. club — a group
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. staff — employees
  7. prune — to trim
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. staff — a stick
  12. stock — goods
  13. prune — to trim
  14. lie — to recline
  15. pit — in a race
  16. bound — certain
  17. stock — shares
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bound — tied together
  20. chest — of your body
  21. club — for golf
  22. pit — a hole
  23. chest — a box
  24. club — for dancing

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