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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: game · hand · content · leaves · rock · trunk

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. content — the amount
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. game — wild animals
  5. content — happy
  6. rock — a stone
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. hand — in cards
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. hand — help
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. game — a match
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. rock — music

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