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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: hide · rush · season · cold · court · wind · trunk · rest

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. rest — what's left
  5. wind — moving air
  6. season — in sport
  7. rest — a break
  8. cold — not warm
  9. rush — hurry
  10. court — for sport
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. season — of the year
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. court — of a king
  15. court — of law
  16. wind — moving air
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. cold — an illness

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