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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 · bay · squash · hand · trunk · saw · lean · track

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. saw — the tool
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. hand — help
  6. squash — the sport
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. hand — in cards
  12. saw — the tool
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. track — to keep track
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. squash — to crush
  20. track — a song
  21. track — a path
  22. lean — to bend
  23. lean — thin
  24. stock — goods

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