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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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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. stock — shares
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. march — music
  6. wound — an injury
  7. swing — to play on
  8. stock — goods
  9. swing — in golf
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. march — the month
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. wound — an injury
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. land — to come down
  17. march — the month
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. swing — music
  20. land — a country
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. dip — to sink
  24. land — ground

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