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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: degree · chip · trunk · foot · lash · game · stock · wound

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. stock — shares
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. degree — from a university
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. degree — temperature
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. stock — goods
  10. wound — an injury
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. foot — a measure
  13. game — a match
  14. degree — an amount
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. chip — to eat
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. game — wild animals
  21. wound — an injury
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. chip — for betting
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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