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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: object · hide · wind · trunk · root · content · squash · chair

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. object — to protest
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. content — happy
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. object — an aim
  9. root — of a word
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. content — the amount
  13. wind — moving air
  14. object — a thing
  15. chair — a leader
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. squash — to crush
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. root — of a plant
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. root — the cause
  23. squash — the sport
  24. trunk — of a car

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