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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 116 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: wind · bear · shower · last · fine · trunk · firm · mark

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. bear — the animal
  4. fine — all right
  5. last — to go on
  6. wind — moving air
  7. shower — rain
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. mark — a grade
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. last — final
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. fine — high quality
  16. last — finally
  17. shower — to wash
  18. firm — steady
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. mark — a trace
  21. firm — decided
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. wind — moving air
  24. firm — a company

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