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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: calf · lash · trunk · field · stem · swing · rest · stock

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. stem — to come from
  4. stock — goods
  5. field — a subject
  6. stock — shares
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. field — for sport
  9. rest — what's left
  10. field — farmland
  11. swing — in golf
  12. rest — what's left
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. swing — music
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. rest — a break
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. swing — to play on
  24. stem — a stem cell

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