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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: spell · trunk · face · hand · mate · safe · stock · pop

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. mate — a friend
  7. mate — to breed
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. stock — shares
  10. pop — to visit
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. pop — soda
  13. hand — in cards
  14. face — to confront
  15. spell — letters
  16. stock — goods
  17. face — to point toward
  18. face — part of the head
  19. spell — magic
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. pop — music
  22. spell — a short time
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. hand — help

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