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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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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: trunk · swing · pit · wind · pound · rule · scale · stock

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. stock — goods
  3. pit — a hole
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. pound — a weight
  6. wind — moving air
  7. rule — government
  8. stock — shares
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. scale — in music
  11. pit — in a race
  12. wind — moving air
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. swing — in golf
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. swing — music
  18. rule — a law
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. scale — size or range
  24. stock — a soup base

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