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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 116 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 · trunk · cap · cabinet · spell · mug · rest · wake

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — what's left
  4. cap — a hat
  5. mug — a cup
  6. stock — shares
  7. rest — a break
  8. cap — a lid
  9. stock — goods
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. cap — of ice
  13. spell — letters
  14. wake — a trail
  15. spell — a short time
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. mug — to rob
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. mug — a face
  24. spell — magic

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