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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 116 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: net · game · stock · wound · trunk · pop · pound · stick

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. net — after costs
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. stock — goods
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. pop — to visit
  11. game — a match
  12. pop — soda
  13. pop — music
  14. game — wild animals
  15. stock — shares
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. net — in sport
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. pound — a weight
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — an injury
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. trunk — of a tree

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