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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 · staff · trunk · club · present · kid · net · stand

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. present — a gift
  3. club — for golf
  4. net — in sport
  5. club — a group
  6. present — there
  7. net — for catching
  8. present — the time now
  9. staff — a stick
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. kid — child
  12. club — for dancing
  13. stock — goods
  14. staff — employees
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. kid — to tease
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. stock — shares
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. stand — to bear
  23. staff — employees
  24. net — after costs

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