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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. drill — army training
  4. last — finally
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. drill — a practice
  7. drill — the tool
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. last — final
  10. lie — to recline
  11. lean — to bend
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. ground — the earth
  15. last — to go on
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. track — a path
  18. lean — thin
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. track — to keep track
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. plane — a tool
  23. ground — crushed
  24. ground — a position

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