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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 · lash · game · cabinet · stock · cold · swing · pound

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. game — a match
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. pound — a weight
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. stock — shares
  8. swing — music
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. swing — in golf
  11. cold — not warm
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. stock — goods
  16. cold — an illness
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. game — wild animals
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. swing — to play on

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