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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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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: field · squash · cue · club · stock · trunk

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. field — a subject
  3. club — for dancing
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. field — for sport
  6. stock — goods
  7. cue — a hint
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. cue — a signal
  10. club — for golf
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. field — farmland
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. squash — the sport
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. stock — shares
  17. squash — to crush
  18. cue — for pool

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