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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 had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. lean — thin
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. spell — letters
  9. lean — to bend
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. face — to point toward
  13. spell — a short time
  14. face — to confront
  15. wake — a trail
  16. face — part of the head
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. bound — certain
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. drill — army training
  21. spell — magic
  22. drill — the tool
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bound — tied together

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