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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: row · trunk · dip · mark · shower · drill · lean · last

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. lean — thin
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. mark — a trace
  8. row — a line
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. last — finally
  11. drill — the tool
  12. dip — to sink
  13. mark — a grade
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. drill — a practice
  17. drill — army training
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. row — to paddle
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. lean — to bend
  22. last — final
  23. last — to go on
  24. shower — rain

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