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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: wake · rest · kick · hide · trunk · rule · sharp · rush

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. rest — what's left
  4. sharp — clever
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. rush — hurry
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. rest — a break
  12. kick — in football
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. rule — a law
  17. wake — a trail
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. rest — what's left
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. rule — government
  24. kick — with a leg

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