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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: ground · wind · cabinet · hide · last · trunk · race · bowl

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. wind — moving air
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. race — a contest
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. race — humankind
  10. ground — crushed
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. last — finally
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. ground — a position
  16. last — final
  17. ground — the earth
  18. wind — moving air
  19. race — the arms race
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. last — to go on

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