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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: club · fall · trunk · fork · stock · key · pop · chest

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. club — for dancing
  3. fork — in a road
  4. chest — of your body
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. club — a group
  8. fall — to drop
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. pop — to visit
  12. stock — goods
  13. pop — soda
  14. chest — of your body
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. stock — shares
  17. fall — the season
  18. key — the most important part
  19. fall — to drop
  20. key — in music
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. club — for golf
  23. key — for a lock
  24. pop — music

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