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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 · wake · stock · pop · pass · bark · chair · drill

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. drill — the tool
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. pop — music
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. pop — soda
  9. drill — army training
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. bark — to shout
  12. pop — to visit
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. pass — a permit
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. drill — a practice
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. stock — goods
  23. wake — a trail
  24. stock — shares

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