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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 · saw · stock · perch · lie · toast · band · tear

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. toast — bread
  5. band — a ring
  6. stock — goods
  7. stock — shares
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. saw — the tool
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. tear — to rip
  15. saw — the tool
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lie — to recline
  18. tear — from crying
  19. band — a music group
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. perch — the fish
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. tear — from crying

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