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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 · nail · hand · tube · mouse · trunk · stock · pop

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. tube — a container
  4. swing — in golf
  5. hand — help
  6. pop — music
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. hand — in cards
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. stock — goods
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. swing — music
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. pop — to visit
  17. pop — soda
  18. stock — shares
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. tube — the underground
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. mouse — for a computer

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