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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: key · hide · stock · saw · mate · season · trunk · bowl

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. mate — to breed
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. season — of the year
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. stock — shares
  11. key — for a lock
  12. stock — goods
  13. saw — the tool
  14. key — in music
  15. season — in sport
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. mate — a friend
  19. saw — the tool
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. key — the most important part
  24. trunk — of a car

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