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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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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: leaves · rock · stem · band · trunk · stick · hide · wind

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. rock — music
  6. rock — a stone
  7. band — a music group
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. band — a ring
  10. stem — to come from
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. wind — moving air
  24. stem — a stem cell

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