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

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. toast — bread
  5. wind — moving air
  6. object — an aim
  7. cell — a phone
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. shower — rain
  10. wind — moving air
  11. shower — to wash
  12. stand — to bear
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. object — a thing
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. object — to protest
  20. wake — a trail
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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