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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: trunk · tear · last · drill · rule · wake

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. drill — a practice
  3. wake — a trail
  4. rule — government
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. drill — army training
  7. rule — a law
  8. tear — from crying
  9. drill — the tool
  10. last — final
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. tear — to rip
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. last — to go on
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. tear — from crying

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