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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. ground — a position
  4. scale — size or range
  5. band — a music group
  6. pass — a permit
  7. lean — to bend
  8. lean — thin
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. drill — the tool
  11. drill — army training
  12. squash — the sport
  13. scale — in music
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. band — a ring
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. drill — a practice
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. ground — the earth
  23. squash — to crush
  24. ground — crushed

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