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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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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: last · stand · ruler · wind · cell · present · trunk · drill

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. drill — army training
  3. stand — to bear
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. last — to go on
  7. wind — moving air
  8. drill — the tool
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. present — a gift
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. last — finally
  13. last — final
  14. drill — a practice
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. cell — in biology
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. present — there
  22. cell — a phone
  23. present — the time now
  24. wind — moving air

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