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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.

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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: saw · pound · wave · stock · trunk · content · game · race

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. content — happy
  5. saw — the tool
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. race — the arms race
  8. saw — the tool
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. pound — a weight
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. content — the amount
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. race — a contest
  16. game — wild animals
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. race — humankind
  19. stock — shares
  20. stock — goods
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. game — a match
  24. trunk — of a car

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