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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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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 · chest · wake · rush · fall · content · stock · roll

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. fall — the season
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. wake — a trail
  6. roll — a list
  7. fall — to drop
  8. roll — a cake
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. chest — of your body
  11. rush — hurry
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. fall — to drop
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. content — happy
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. chest — a box
  20. chest — of your body
  21. stock — goods
  22. stock — shares
  23. content — the amount
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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