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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. sharp — clever
  3. track — to keep track
  4. drill — army training
  5. bank — for money
  6. spell — a short time
  7. spell — magic
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. drill — the tool
  10. track — a song
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. bank — for money
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. wound — an injury
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. wound — an injury
  17. spell — letters
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bank — of a river
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. track — a path
  24. bear — the animal

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