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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 124 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: drill · saw · trunk · lash · hand · bear

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. saw — the tool
  3. drill — the tool
  4. drill — army training
  5. bear — the animal
  6. saw — the tool
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. drill — a practice
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. hand — help
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. hand — in cards
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. bear — the animal
  18. trunk — of an elephant

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