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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: trunk · board · row · season · fall · date · band · stock

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. stock — goods
  3. fall — the season
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. fall — to drop
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. season — in sport
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. band — a music group
  12. band — a ring
  13. board — to get on
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. row — a line
  17. fall — to drop
  18. stock — shares
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. date — the fruit
  23. row — to paddle
  24. board — a committee

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