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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: trunk · stock · bat · march · scale · charge · track · lash

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. stock — goods
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. march — the month
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. scale — in music
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. track — a song
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. scale — size or range
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. bat — the animal
  15. march — music
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. charge — a price
  18. charge — in control
  19. stock — shares
  20. track — to keep track
  21. march — the month
  22. track — a path
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. bat — in an idiom

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