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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · trunk · staff · saw · kid · date · hide · mate

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. saw — the tool
  5. staff — employees
  6. date — the fruit
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. staff — a stick
  11. stock — shares
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. staff — employees
  14. stock — goods
  15. mate — a partner
  16. saw — the tool
  17. kid — child
  18. mate — a friend
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. kid — to tease
  21. mate — to breed
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. trunk — of a tree

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