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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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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: trunk · bear · hide · lie · stand · cold · rest · content

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. rest — what's left
  3. cold — an illness
  4. stand — to bear
  5. content — the amount
  6. cold — not warm
  7. bear — the animal
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. rest — what's left
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. rest — a break
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. content — happy
  19. bear — the animal
  20. lie — to recline
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. hide — to keep secret

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