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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: land · mate · rush · staff · chest · trunk · bank · wind

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. mate — a partner
  4. land — to come down
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. chest — of your body
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. staff — a stick
  10. staff — employees
  11. rush — hurry
  12. bank — of a river
  13. chest — a box
  14. chest — of your body
  15. staff — employees
  16. mate — a friend
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. land — a country
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bank — for money
  21. mate — to breed
  22. land — ground
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bank — for money

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