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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: rush · current · content · trunk · coach · fork · stock · pitch

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. content — happy
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. stock — shares
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. fork — in a road
  10. current — of water
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. current — electric
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. stock — goods
  15. pitch — completely
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. current — happening now
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. rush — hurry
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. content — the amount
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. stock — a soup base

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