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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: band · hand · stock · swing · rest · trunk · cue · rush

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. swing — in golf
  4. cue — for pool
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rush — hurry
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. band — a music group
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. cue — a signal
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. swing — music
  16. rest — a break
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. rest — what's left
  19. band — a ring
  20. hand — in cards
  21. swing — to play on
  22. rest — what's left
  23. stock — shares
  24. cue — a hint

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