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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 · march · lash · stock · fine · game · season · shower

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. stock — goods
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. march — music
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — wild animals
  12. stock — shares
  13. fine — high quality
  14. fine — all right
  15. shower — to wash
  16. game — a match
  17. season — of the year
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. shower — rain
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — in sport
  22. march — the month
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. march — the month

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