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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 116 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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. lean — thin
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. content — happy
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. stand — to bear
  12. spell — magic
  13. spell — a short time
  14. spell — letters
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. band — a music group
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. lean — to bend
  20. band — a ring
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. trunk — of a tree

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