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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
468
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: spell · content · straw · wound · object · kick · trunk · rush

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. wound — an injury
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. spell — letters
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. object — to protest
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. content — happy
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. spell — magic
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. object — a thing
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. rush — hurry
  20. content — the amount
  21. kick — in football
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. spell — a short time
  24. wound — an injury

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