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

Word bank: content · wind · cabinet · chair · mark · rest · fan · trunk

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. content — happy
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. wind — moving air
  6. mark — a trace
  7. rest — a break
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. chair — a leader
  10. content — the amount
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. wind — moving air
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. mark — a grade
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. rest — what's left
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. rest — what's left
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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