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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: fork · patient · craft · wax · bound · rock · stock · trunk

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. bound — obliged
  5. rock — a stone
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. stock — shares
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. craft — a skill
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. bound — tied together
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. stock — goods
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. craft — boats
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. fork — in a road
  22. bound — certain
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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