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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: firm · kid · trunk · stock · present · content · field · rush

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. firm — steady
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. field — a subject
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. present — there
  7. kid — child
  8. present — the time now
  9. rush — hurry
  10. field — for sport
  11. stock — shares
  12. field — farmland
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. stock — goods
  16. kid — to tease
  17. content — the amount
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. firm — a company
  22. firm — decided
  23. present — a gift
  24. content — happy

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