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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: trunk · game · spell · rest · mate · rash

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. spell — letters
  3. game — wild animals
  4. mate — a partner
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. mate — to breed
  7. rash — a series
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. rest — a break
  13. mate — a friend
  14. rest — what's left
  15. spell — a short time
  16. game — a match
  17. rest — what's left
  18. trunk — of a car

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