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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: wake · bowl · stock · trunk · wind · leaves · rest · bass

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. wind — moving air
  6. rest — what's left
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. stock — goods
  16. stock — shares
  17. rest — what's left
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bass — low music
  21. rest — a break
  22. bass — the fish
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wind — moving air

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