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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. firm — steady
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. stock — goods
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. wind — moving air
  8. stock — shares
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. mate — to breed
  11. firm — a company
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. pitch — completely
  14. firm — decided
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. branch — a division
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. mate — a friend
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. bore — to drill
  21. mate — a partner
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. bore — to tire
  24. wind — moving air

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