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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: bat · trunk · ruler · bulb · march · stock · sharp · season

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. stock — shares
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. bat — the animal
  7. season — in sport
  8. stock — goods
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. march — the month
  11. season — of the year
  12. march — music
  13. bulb — for light
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. march — the month
  19. bulb — for light
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. sharp — clever

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