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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: chair · stock · tube · lash · branch · trunk · pound · spell

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. pound — a weight
  5. spell — a short time
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. branch — a division
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. stock — shares
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. tube — a container
  19. spell — magic
  20. chair — a leader
  21. stock — goods
  22. spell — letters
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. tube — the underground

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