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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 124 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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. prune — to trim
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. wake — a trail
  6. press — to push
  7. press — a publisher
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. land — a country
  10. prune — to trim
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. drill — army training
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — ground
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. drill — a practice
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. file — a tool
  20. file — a document
  21. press — newspapers
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. file — a line of people

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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