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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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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 · stick · ground · kid · pound · stock · jam · drill

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. drill — the tool
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. kid — child
  6. stock — shares
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. drill — a practice
  9. ground — crushed
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. ground — the earth
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. kid — to tease
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. ground — a position
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. stock — goods
  24. drill — army training

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