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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: staff · trunk · wound · jam · sharp · bass · stock · court

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. wound — an injury
  3. staff — a stick
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. stock — shares
  6. wound — an injury
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. bass — the fish
  9. staff — employees
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. staff — employees
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. court — of law
  14. stock — goods
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. sharp — clever
  17. court — for sport
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. court — of a king
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. bass — low music
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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