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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: nail · object · trunk · hide · chest · pitch · stock · spring

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. chest — of your body
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spring — of water
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. chest — a box
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. pitch — completely
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. object — to protest
  17. stock — goods
  18. object — a thing
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. chest — of your body
  22. object — an aim
  23. spring — the season
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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