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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: stock · board · date · bowl · present · trunk · chest · band

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. present — there
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. board — a committee
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. band — a ring
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. date — the fruit
  12. board — to get on
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. present — the time now
  15. stock — goods
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — a box
  18. stock — shares
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. band — a music group
  21. chest — of your body
  22. present — a gift
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. trunk — of a car

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