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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: row · content · last · trunk · stock · racket · roll · bank

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. roll — a list
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — finally
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. bank — for money
  11. bank — of a river
  12. row — to paddle
  13. roll — a cake
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. last — final
  18. stock — shares
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. content — the amount
  22. row — a line
  23. bank — for money
  24. stock — goods

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