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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 · stock · saw · lean · ball · scale · bark · press

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. press — to push
  3. stock — goods
  4. lean — thin
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. stock — shares
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. lean — to bend
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. saw — the tool
  15. ball — a dance
  16. press — a publisher
  17. bark — to shout
  18. scale — in music
  19. press — newspapers
  20. ball — a great time
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. saw — the tool
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. ball — a round shape

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