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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: season · file · stock · temple · trunk · squash · face · tear

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — in sport
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. tear — from crying
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. file — a line of people
  8. face — to point toward
  9. stock — goods
  10. stock — shares
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. file — a document
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. squash — to crush
  15. file — a tool
  16. face — part of the head
  17. tear — from crying
  18. season — of the year
  19. squash — the sport
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. tear — to rip
  23. face — to confront
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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