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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: game · trunk · cell · wake · stock · lean · mug · bank

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. wake — a trail
  7. bank — of a river
  8. cell — in biology
  9. lean — to bend
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. cell — a phone
  13. bank — for money
  14. stock — goods
  15. mug — to rob
  16. game — wild animals
  17. mug — a cup
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. bank — for money
  20. stock — shares
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. game — a match
  23. lean — thin
  24. lean — to rest against

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