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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 need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  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. drill — the tool
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — of the year
  4. drill — army training
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. current — of water
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. current — happening now
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. last — finally
  11. season — in sport
  12. drill — a practice
  13. last — final
  14. rash — hasty
  15. bark — to shout
  16. snap — to click
  17. rash — a series
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. current — electric
  21. last — to go on
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. bark — of a tree
  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