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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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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: rash · trunk · racket · stock · clip · firm

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. clip — for paper
  5. firm — a company
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. rash — a series
  9. stock — shares
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. stock — goods
  12. firm — steady
  13. clip — a video
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. rash — hasty
  16. clip — to cut
  17. firm — decided
  18. rash — on the skin

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