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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: toast · spell · tube · trunk · stock · rash · net · wake

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. stock — goods
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. rash — hasty
  5. net — after costs
  6. wake — a trail
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. tube — a container
  9. net — for catching
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. stock — shares
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. toast — bread
  15. tube — the underground
  16. spell — letters
  17. net — in sport
  18. rash — a series
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. spell — a short time
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. spell — magic
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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