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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: stock · fine · ball · wave · leaves · trunk · track · land

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. ball — a great time
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. track — a path
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. track — to keep track
  12. stock — shares
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. land — ground
  15. fine — high quality
  16. land — to come down
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. ball — a dance
  20. track — a song
  21. land — a country
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. stock — goods
  24. leaves — to go away

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