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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: stock · net · capital · mate · trunk · temple · bear · lie

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. lie — to recline
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. stock — shares
  6. net — after costs
  7. capital — money
  8. capital — a city
  9. net — in sport
  10. stock — goods
  11. bear — the animal
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. mate — a friend
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. mate — a partner
  22. net — for catching
  23. bear — the animal
  24. mate — to breed

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