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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 120 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: stem · cabinet · saw · stock · trunk · pop · content · scale

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  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. content — the amount
  2. content — happy
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. stock — goods
  5. pop — soda
  6. scale — in music
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. stock — shares
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. stem — to come from
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. pop — music
  15. pop — to visit
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. scale — size or range
  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