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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: coach · lie · club · scale · suit · cell · stock · bulb

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. cell — a phone
  3. stock — shares
  4. cell — in biology
  5. club — for dancing
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. lie — to recline
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bulb — for light
  10. scale — in music
  11. suit — to fit
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. club — for golf
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bulb — for light
  18. stock — goods
  19. scale — size or range
  20. club — a group
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. suit — in cards
  23. suit — clothes
  24. cell — in a prison

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