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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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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 · tube · pitcher · present · field · rule · staff

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — a stick
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. stock — shares
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. stock — goods
  7. present — a gift
  8. present — the time now
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. field — for sport
  13. field — a subject
  14. staff — employees
  15. rule — a law
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. rule — government
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. tube — the underground
  21. tube — a container
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. field — farmland
  24. present — there

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