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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 120 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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. object — to protest
  3. spell — magic
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. cold — not warm
  6. object — a thing
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. current — of water
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. cold — an illness
  12. drill — a practice
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. current — electric
  15. current — happening now
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. saw — the tool
  18. object — an aim
  19. drill — army training
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. spell — a short time
  22. saw — the tool
  23. spell — letters
  24. ruler — a monarch

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