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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: shower · field · stock · trunk · chip · wake · lash · fork

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. stock — goods
  3. stock — shares
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. shower — to wash
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. field — farmland
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. field — a subject
  10. wake — a trail
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. shower — rain
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. fork — in a road
  15. field — for sport
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. chip — for betting
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. chip — to eat
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. fork — a garden tool

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