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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 · rock · ball · cue · bore · date · ground · trunk

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. ball — a great time
  3. rock — music
  4. ground — a position
  5. bore — to drill
  6. stock — goods
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. date — the fruit
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. ground — the earth
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. ball — a dance
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. stock — shares
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. ground — crushed
  19. cue — for pool
  20. bore — to tire
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. rock — a stone
  23. cue — a signal
  24. date — on the calendar

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