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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 · wound · chair · cell · bore · pound · cabinet · bark

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bore — to tire
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. stock — goods
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. wound — an injury
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. wound — an injury
  16. stock — shares
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. chair — a leader
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. pound — a weight
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. cell — a phone
  24. bore — to drill

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