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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: bound · stock · march · nail · wound · trunk · rash · date

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. march — the month
  3. march — the month
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. bound — tied together
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. march — music
  9. rash — a series
  10. rash — hasty
  11. bound — certain
  12. wound — an injury
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. date — the fruit
  15. stock — shares
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bound — obliged
  22. stock — goods
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. nail — for a hammer

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