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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: ground · hide · trunk · race · last · staff · leaves · ruler

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. staff — employees
  5. race — the arms race
  6. last — finally
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. ground — the earth
  9. staff — a stick
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. ground — a position
  12. ground — crushed
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. staff — employees
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. race — a contest
  20. last — final
  21. race — humankind
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. leaves — to go away

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