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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 120 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: stock · chest · trunk · pound · lean · rule · bay · plane

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. stock — goods
  7. plane — a tool
  8. lean — thin
  9. lean — to bend
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. chest — of your body
  12. pound — a weight
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. rule — government
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. chest — a box
  21. rule — a law
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. stock — shares
  24. plane — in geometry

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