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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: trunk · rock · sharp · drill · toast · land · fine · roll

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  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. fine — all right
  2. rock — music
  3. land — a country
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. land — to come down
  7. sharp — clever
  8. land — ground
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. drill — a practice
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. rock — a stone
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. drill — army training
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. roll — a list
  18. roll — a cake
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. drill — the tool
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. toast — bread
  23. fine — high quality
  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