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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 116 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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. key — in music
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. drill — a practice
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. drill — army training
  9. object — a thing
  10. hand — in cards
  11. drill — the tool
  12. object — to protest
  13. key — the most important part
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. wound — an injury
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. object — an aim
  18. spring — the season
  19. spring — a coil
  20. spring — of water
  21. hand — help
  22. plane — a tool
  23. wound — an injury
  24. key — for a lock

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