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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: pound · last · pass · trunk · nail · bay · stock · spring

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. last — final
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. spring — of water
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. spring — the season
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. spring — a coil
  14. stock — goods
  15. pass — a permit
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. stock — shares
  18. last — to go on
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. last — finally
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. pound — a weight

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