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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: net · cabinet · stock · branch · bulb · chip · row · scale

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. scale — size or range
  3. branch — a division
  4. row — a line
  5. net — for catching
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. stock — goods
  8. bulb — for light
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. stock — shares
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. chip — to eat
  13. net — after costs
  14. net — in sport
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. row — to paddle
  17. chip — for betting
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. scale — in music
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. bulb — for light

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