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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: stock · plane · bark · march · content · scale · trunk · wax

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. wax — to grow
  4. stock — goods
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. content — happy
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. stock — shares
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. scale — in music
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. march — music
  15. plane — a tool
  16. content — the amount
  17. bark — to shout
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. scale — size or range
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. march — the month
  24. march — the month

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