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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: staff · hide · trunk · cabinet · content · wake · game · branch

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. staff — a stick
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. wake — a trail
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. content — the amount
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. game — wild animals
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. branch — a division
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. game — a match
  19. staff — employees
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. staff — employees
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. content — happy
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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