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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: chair · lash · trunk · mate · stock · wound · sharp · fork

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. stock — shares
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. wound — an injury
  7. chair — a leader
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. mate — a partner
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. mate — a friend
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. wound — an injury
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. stock — goods
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. sharp — clever
  20. fork — in a road
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. fork — to eat with

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