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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: pop · mate · can · track · trunk · cabinet · hand · spell

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pop — music
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. spell — letters
  8. mate — a partner
  9. track — a path
  10. can — to be able to
  11. track — to keep track
  12. can — a tin
  13. mate — a friend
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. mate — to breed
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. hand — help
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. spell — a short time
  20. spell — magic
  21. hand — in cards
  22. can — a tin
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. track — a song

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