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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. last — final
  3. last — finally
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. rush — hurry
  6. fine — high quality
  7. wound — an injury
  8. drill — a practice
  9. drill — army training
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. present — the time now
  13. present — there
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. present — a gift
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. last — to go on
  21. stem — to come from
  22. drill — the tool
  23. fine — all right
  24. wound — an injury

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