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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: mark · rash · fall · chair · wind · pass · hide · trunk

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. rash — a series
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. wind — moving air
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. mark — a grade
  8. mark — a trace
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. rash — hasty
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. pass — a permit
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — the season
  22. chair — a leader
  23. wind — moving air
  24. pass — to spend time

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