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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: rock · spring · trunk · saw · chair · deal · wind · bear

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. wind — moving air
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bear — the animal
  5. rock — a stone
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. spring — the season
  10. chair — a leader
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. spring — a coil
  14. wind — moving air
  15. spring — of water
  16. rock — music
  17. bear — the animal
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. deal — a big deal

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