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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 · stock · wake · squash · nail · pitch · toast · ground

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. squash — the sport
  3. squash — to crush
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. ground — crushed
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. stock — goods
  8. stock — shares
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. ground — the earth
  13. ground — a position
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wake — a trail
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. pitch — completely
  20. toast — bread
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. toast — the most admired

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