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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: trunk · land · wind · stem · rush · staff · object · bear

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. staff — employees
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. wind — moving air
  5. land — to come down
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. land — ground
  8. staff — employees
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. object — an aim
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. object — to protest
  17. staff — a stick
  18. rush — hurry
  19. land — a country
  20. object — a thing
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. stem — to come from
  23. bear — the animal
  24. stem — of a plant

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