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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bound · trunk · pitcher · sharp · squash · drill · spring · last

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. bound — certain
  4. last — to go on
  5. spring — of water
  6. drill — army training
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. squash — the sport
  10. sharp — clever
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. last — final
  13. spring — the season
  14. bound — tied together
  15. spring — a coil
  16. drill — the tool
  17. bound — obliged
  18. squash — to crush
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. last — finally
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. trunk — of a car

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