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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. drill — a practice
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. rash — a series
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. file — a line of people
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. last — to go on
  10. last — finally
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. last — final
  13. saw — the tool
  14. rash — hasty
  15. drill — army training
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. file — a tool
  19. file — a document
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. lean — thin
  23. drill — the tool
  24. saw — the tool

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