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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: wind · trunk · bulb · coach · fan · board · pop · stock

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. pop — soda
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. stock — goods
  6. board — a committee
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. pop — music
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. pop — to visit
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — moving air
  19. board — to get on
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. bulb — for light
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. bulb — for light

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