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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 · mine · squash · rule · calf · lash · fine · stock

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. fine — high quality
  3. fine — all right
  4. squash — to crush
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. mine — for digging
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. rule — a law
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. stock — goods
  19. rule — government
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. stock — shares
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. squash — the sport

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