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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: chest · trunk · pass · court · mine · stick · stock · band

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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. mine — belonging to me
  4. chest — of your body
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. band — a ring
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — for digging
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. court — of a king
  16. court — of law
  17. court — for sport
  18. chest — a box
  19. chest — of your body
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. band — a music group
  23. stock — shares
  24. pass — a permit

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