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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stock · trunk · lash · cap · pitcher · fork · face · file

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. face — part of the head
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. fork — in a road
  9. cap — a hat
  10. file — a line of people
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. cap — of ice
  14. file — a document
  15. file — a tool
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. face — to point toward
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. face — to confront
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. stock — goods
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. cap — a lid

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