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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: wound · trunk · staff · chest · roll · stand · hide · stock

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. wound — an injury
  4. staff — employees
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. stock — goods
  9. chest — a box
  10. staff — a stick
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. stock — shares
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. stand — to bear
  16. roll — a list
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. chest — of your body
  20. wound — an injury
  21. roll — a cake
  22. staff — employees
  23. chest — of your body
  24. stand — for spectators

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