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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: spell · trunk · stock · court · wave · cell · pass · craft

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. spell — letters
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. stock — goods
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. court — for sport
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. pass — a permit
  9. spell — a short time
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. craft — boats
  13. craft — a skill
  14. spell — magic
  15. court — of law
  16. stock — shares
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. cell — a phone
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. cell — in biology
  23. court — of a king
  24. wave — of the sea

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