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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: stem · content · object · wind · land · wound · hide · rush

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. stem — to come from
  3. content — happy
  4. content — the amount
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. rush — hurry
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. object — a thing
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. land — a country
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. land — to come down
  17. wound — an injury
  18. land — ground
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. object — an aim
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. object — to protest
  24. wind — moving air

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