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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 · season · key · wake · court · field · trunk · dip

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. court — for sport
  3. key — the most important part
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. key — in music
  6. field — farmland
  7. season — of the year
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. field — for sport
  10. court — of law
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. stock — goods
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. stock — shares
  15. season — in sport
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. field — a subject
  18. dip — to sink
  19. key — for a lock
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. wake — a trail
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. court — of a king

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