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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: tube · land · saw · toast · mug · trunk · stock · season

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. land — a country
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. mug — a cup
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. land — to come down
  8. mug — to rob
  9. tube — the underground
  10. land — ground
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. toast — bread
  16. season — in sport
  17. mug — a face
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. stock — goods
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. season — of the year
  22. tube — a container
  23. stock — shares
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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