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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: can · last · spell · rock · jam · mate · cap · bark

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. spell — letters
  3. can — to be able to
  4. spell — magic
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. can — a tin
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. last — final
  10. cap — a hat
  11. rock — music
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. mate — a friend
  14. last — finally
  15. cap — a lid
  16. spell — a short time
  17. bark — to shout
  18. last — to go on
  19. cap — of ice
  20. rock — a stone
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. can — a tin
  23. mate — to breed
  24. jam — in traffic

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