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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: mug · firm · content · squash · trunk · wound · last · bear

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. last — final
  4. mug — to rob
  5. firm — a company
  6. squash — the sport
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. content — happy
  9. content — the amount
  10. last — finally
  11. wound — an injury
  12. mug — a cup
  13. firm — decided
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. bear — the animal
  17. last — to go on
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. mug — a face
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. wound — an injury
  22. firm — steady
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. squash — to crush

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