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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. cell — in biology
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. rock — music
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. squash — to crush
  8. rock — a stone
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. squash — the sport
  12. firm — steady
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. stand — to bear
  16. firm — a company
  17. firm — decided
  18. mine — for digging
  19. wind — moving air
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. cell — a phone

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