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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: swing · pass · chest · coach · degree · pop · trunk · stock

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  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. stock — a soup base
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. degree — from a university
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. pass — a permit
  8. chest — of your body
  9. stock — shares
  10. chest — of your body
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. pop — music
  13. chest — a box
  14. pop — soda
  15. degree — an amount
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. swing — in golf
  18. swing — to play on
  19. stock — goods
  20. swing — music
  21. degree — temperature
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. pop — to visit
  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