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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: band · bass · tube · sharp · rest · staff · stock · trunk

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. stock — shares
  3. bass — the fish
  4. sharp — clever
  5. rest — a break
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. rest — what's left
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. tube — the underground
  11. rest — what's left
  12. band — a ring
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — a stick
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. stock — goods
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. bass — low music
  22. tube — a container
  23. band — a music group
  24. sharp — with an edge

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