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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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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: trunk · stock · wave · spell · club · lie · snap · bay

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. spell — magic
  3. spell — a short time
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. club — for golf
  8. lie — to recline
  9. club — a group
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. stock — goods
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. stock — shares
  15. snap — to click
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. club — for dancing
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. spell — letters
  24. bay — a part 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