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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: trunk · bound · game · stick · tear · stock · bulb · arm

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. stock — shares
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. game — a match
  6. bound — obliged
  7. game — wild animals
  8. bulb — for light
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. tear — to rip
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. bound — tied together
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bulb — for light
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. bound — certain
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. tear — from crying

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