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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: swing · trunk · racket · stock · leaves · last · rest · ground

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. stock — goods
  3. swing — to play on
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. last — final
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. last — to go on
  10. swing — in golf
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. ground — crushed
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. ground — the earth
  16. rest — what's left
  17. last — finally
  18. stock — shares
  19. ground — a position
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. rest — a break
  22. swing — music
  23. rest — what's left
  24. racket — a loud noise

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