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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 116 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: chair · bulb · bay · stock · pitcher · perch · prune · kid

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. prune — to trim
  3. stock — shares
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bulb — for light
  6. stock — goods
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bulb — for light
  9. prune — to trim
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. chair — a leader
  13. perch — the fish
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. kid — child
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. kid — to tease
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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