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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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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 · object · wind · land · rest · firm · coach · press

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. land — a country
  3. wind — moving air
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. firm — steady
  7. rest — what's left
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. object — to protest
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. press — a publisher
  12. firm — a company
  13. firm — decided
  14. rest — a break
  15. press — to push
  16. press — newspapers
  17. land — to come down
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. land — ground
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. object — a thing
  23. rest — what's left
  24. object — an aim

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