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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: stock · trunk · chest · coach · cell · season · current · bank

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  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. current — happening now
  2. cell — in biology
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. season — of the year
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. chest — of your body
  7. stock — goods
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. current — electric
  10. cell — a phone
  11. season — in sport
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bank — for money
  14. stock — shares
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. chest — of your body
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. bank — for money
  20. bank — of a river
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. chest — a box
  23. current — of water
  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