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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: lean · trunk · mouse · band · drill · stock · fan · roll

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. roll — a cake
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. stock — goods
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. band — a music group
  8. lean — to bend
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. drill — the tool
  11. roll — a list
  12. drill — a practice
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. stock — shares
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. band — a ring
  22. drill — army training
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. stock — a soup base

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