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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
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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: mate · season · spell · stand · track · sharp · trunk · pop

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. track — a path
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. spell — a short time
  6. pop — music
  7. mate — to breed
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. track — to keep track
  10. mate — a partner
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. pop — soda
  16. pop — to visit
  17. track — a song
  18. mate — a friend
  19. season — of the year
  20. stand — to bear
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. sharp — clever
  23. spell — magic
  24. spell — letters

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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