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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 116 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: trunk · stock · land · squash · nail · pop · coach · key

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. squash — the sport
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. stock — shares
  6. pop — to visit
  7. key — the most important part
  8. key — in music
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. key — for a lock
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. land — to come down
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. stock — goods
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. pop — soda
  18. pop — music
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. land — ground
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. land — a country
  24. nail — for a hammer

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