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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: row · swing · trunk · mark · stock · tube · file · drill

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. file — a tool
  3. drill — the tool
  4. swing — in golf
  5. drill — army training
  6. file — a document
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. stock — goods
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. tube — a container
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. row — a line
  13. swing — to play on
  14. mark — a grade
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. mark — a trace
  17. tube — the underground
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. swing — music
  20. row — to paddle
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. drill — a practice
  23. stock — shares
  24. file — a line of people

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