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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 120 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: pop · stick · trunk · leaves · squash · saw · hand · content

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. content — the amount
  5. pop — soda
  6. pop — music
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. saw — the tool
  10. pop — to visit
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. saw — the tool
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. squash — to crush
  15. content — happy
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. squash — the sport
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. hand — in cards
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. hand — help

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