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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. drill — the tool
  3. spring — of water
  4. fall — to drop
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. drill — army training
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. drill — a practice
  10. fall — the season
  11. spell — letters
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. fall — to drop
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. spring — the season
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. spell — magic
  21. bark — to shout
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. spell — a short time
  24. spring — a coil

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