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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: cell · chip · leaves · mate · rush · stock · trunk · band

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. chip — to eat
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. band — a ring
  8. band — a music group
  9. stock — goods
  10. cell — in biology
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. mate — a partner
  14. cell — a phone
  15. stock — shares
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. mate — a friend
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. chip — for betting
  21. mate — to breed
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. rush — to hurry

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