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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: firm · trunk · wind · stick · rest · mate

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. firm — decided
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. rest — what's left
  8. firm — a company
  9. firm — steady
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. wind — moving air
  13. mate — a partner
  14. mate — to breed
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. rest — what's left
  17. wind — moving air
  18. mate — a friend

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