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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 · trunk · saw · chip · bass · kid · race · wake

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. chip — for betting
  3. race — humankind
  4. kid — to tease
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. chip — to eat
  7. race — a contest
  8. stock — shares
  9. kid — child
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. wake — a trail
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bass — low music
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. stock — goods
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. race — the arms race
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. saw — the tool

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