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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. spell — magic
  3. spell — a short time
  4. bank — for money
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. prune — to trim
  7. spring — a coil
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. spring — of water
  10. bank — for money
  11. mark — a grade
  12. mark — a trace
  13. spring — the season
  14. bank — of a river
  15. drill — a practice
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. drill — army training
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. drill — the tool
  21. hand — help
  22. prune — to trim
  23. spell — letters
  24. trunk — of a tree

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