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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: last · pound · bay · staff · content · rock · trunk · coach

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. last — finally
  4. last — to go on
  5. rock — music
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. staff — employees
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. pound — a weight
  12. rock — a stone
  13. content — the amount
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. staff — a stick
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. last — final
  24. staff — employees

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