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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 · chair · bulb · bark · cell · calf · branch · bound

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. stock — goods
  6. stock — shares
  7. cell — a phone
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. branch — a division
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. bound — certain
  18. bound — obliged
  19. cell — in biology
  20. bound — tied together
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. chair — a leader

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