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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: object · band · firm · hide · cold · trunk · deal · mine

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. firm — decided
  5. cold — an illness
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. deal — to handle
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. object — to protest
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. object — a thing
  12. band — a ring
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. band — a music group
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. firm — a company
  20. mine — for digging
  21. cold — not warm
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. firm — steady
  24. hide — to keep secret

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