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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: root · content · club · trunk · stock · object · wake · can

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. club — for dancing
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. content — happy
  5. can — a tin
  6. club — a group
  7. root — the cause
  8. object — an aim
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. can — a tin
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. content — the amount
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. object — to protest
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. stock — shares
  19. club — for golf
  20. object — a thing
  21. root — of a plant
  22. root — of a word
  23. stock — goods
  24. wake — a trail

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