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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 120 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 · wave · tube · game · stock · row · ball · pound

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. game — wild animals
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. row — a line
  7. ball — a dance
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. tube — the underground
  10. ball — a great time
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. row — to paddle
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. game — a match
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. stock — shares
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. pound — a weight
  23. tube — a container
  24. game — a kind of play

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