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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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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: rock · bass · can · stock · trunk · pound · last · face

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. last — final
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. last — finally
  5. stock — shares
  6. stock — goods
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — a tin
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. bass — the fish
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. pound — a weight
  13. can — to be able to
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. face — part of the head
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. rock — a stone
  20. bass — low music
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. rock — music
  23. last — to go on
  24. face — to point toward

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