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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: trunk · land · hide · spell · race · straw · content · bay

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. spell — a short time
  6. land — a country
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. content — the amount
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. race — a contest
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. land — ground
  13. content — happy
  14. spell — magic
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. land — to come down
  20. race — the arms race
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. race — humankind

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