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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: trunk · rest · stock · foot · face · clip · cue · pop

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. 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. foot — a measure
  2. clip — a video
  3. rest — what's left
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. stock — goods
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. pop — music
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. pop — soda
  11. face — part of the head
  12. pop — to visit
  13. cue — a signal
  14. rest — a break
  15. cue — a hint
  16. face — to confront
  17. face — to point toward
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. rest — what's left
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. stock — shares
  22. clip — to cut
  23. clip — for paper
  24. 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