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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 · rush · rash · stock · wave · racket · prune · bark

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. rush — hurry
  6. prune — to trim
  7. rash — hasty
  8. bark — to shout
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. stock — goods
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rash — a series
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. prune — to trim
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. stock — shares
  24. racket — a loud noise

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