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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · fan · leaves · mine · hide · cold · nail · rest

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. cold — an illness
  4. rest — what's left
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. mine — for digging
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. cold — not warm
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — a break
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. hide — to keep secret

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