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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: stock · row · spell · squash · trunk · wave · scale · craft

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. spell — magic
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. row — a line
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. scale — size or range
  11. squash — the sport
  12. stock — shares
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. craft — boats
  16. row — to paddle
  17. squash — to crush
  18. spell — a short time
  19. stock — goods
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. scale — in music
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. spell — letters

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