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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · bulb · bound · last · track · staff · chest · leaves

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. chest — of your body
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. last — to go on
  5. track — a path
  6. stock — shares
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bound — certain
  9. track — a song
  10. bulb — for light
  11. staff — employees
  12. chest — of your body
  13. track — to keep track
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. last — finally
  16. bound — tied together
  17. staff — employees
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. staff — a stick
  20. last — final
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. chest — a box
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. stock — goods

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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