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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: scale · content · mine · staff · stock · trunk · roll · club

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. content — happy
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. staff — employees
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. club — for dancing
  8. scale — size or range
  9. staff — a stick
  10. content — the amount
  11. roll — a cake
  12. scale — in music
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. roll — a list
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. staff — employees
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. club — for golf
  19. mine — for digging
  20. stock — goods
  21. stock — shares
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. club — a group
  24. roll — on a roll

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