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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: field · stock · bay · lash · wind · trunk · track · stick

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. stock — goods
  3. field — a subject
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. track — a song
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. track — to keep track
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. stock — shares
  13. field — farmland
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. wind — moving air
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. field — for sport
  21. track — a path
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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