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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. key — the most important part
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. squash — to crush
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. key — in music
  13. squash — the sport
  14. mine — for digging
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. drill — a practice
  20. key — for a lock
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. stem — to come from
  24. drill — army training

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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