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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 120 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: wake · wind · cold · wave · can · trunk · ground · stand

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. ground — a position
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. can — a tin
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. wake — a trail
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. stand — to bear
  12. wind — moving air
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — to be able to
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. cold — an illness
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. ground — the earth
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. cold — not warm
  24. ground — crushed

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