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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.

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: plane · deal · racket · fan · rush · content · trunk · cold

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. content — happy
  7. deal — to handle
  8. cold — not warm
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. plane — a tool
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. cold — an illness
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. rush — hurry
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. content — the amount
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. trunk — of a car

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