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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: spell · trunk · bound · racket · stock · content · branch · key

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. content — happy
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. bound — tied together
  7. stock — shares
  8. spell — a short time
  9. bound — obliged
  10. key — the most important part
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. content — the amount
  14. key — in music
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. spell — letters
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. branch — a division
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. spell — magic
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. key — for a lock
  24. bound — certain

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