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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: row · mouse · trunk · content · hand · fall · mark · squash

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. fall — to drop
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. fall — the season
  6. row — a line
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. content — happy
  9. content — the amount
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. hand — in cards
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. squash — the sport
  18. fall — to drop
  19. squash — to crush
  20. mark — a grade
  21. hand — help
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. row — to paddle
  24. mouse — the animal

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