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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. field — for sport
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. field — a subject
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. shower — to wash
  12. shower — rain
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. content — the amount
  16. bank — of a river
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. bank — for money
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. content — happy
  21. field — farmland
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. bank — for money
  24. coach — a trainer

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