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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.

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: content · spring · scale · hide · trunk · wake · mine · stand

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. wake — a trail
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. spring — of water
  11. stand — to bear
  12. scale — size or range
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. content — happy
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. spring — a coil
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. scale — in music
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. spring — the season
  24. mine — for digging

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