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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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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: bank · court · cell · pit · chest · mark · bark · bulb

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. mark — a grade
  3. bank — for money
  4. mark — a trace
  5. pit — a hole
  6. pit — in a race
  7. chest — a box
  8. cell — a phone
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. court — of a king
  11. court — for sport
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bank — for money
  14. cell — in biology
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. bulb — for light
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bank — of a river
  19. bulb — for light
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. bark — to shout
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. court — of law

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