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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: rock · court · trunk · stock · content · pass · tear · mine

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. tear — to rip
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. rock — music
  7. rock — a stone
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. stock — shares
  10. mine — for digging
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. court — of a king
  15. content — happy
  16. pass — a permit
  17. tear — from crying
  18. court — of law
  19. content — the amount
  20. court — for sport
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. stock — goods
  24. tear — from crying

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