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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: land · key · arm · rule · bowl · trunk · stock · wind

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. rule — a law
  5. wind — moving air
  6. key — in music
  7. rule — government
  8. land — ground
  9. stock — goods
  10. key — the most important part
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. key — for a lock
  14. wind — moving air
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. land — to come down
  21. land — a country
  22. stock — shares
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. arm — part of the body

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