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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 116 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 · net · object · mug · straw · spring · fall · trunk

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. drill — the tool
  3. net — in sport
  4. drill — a practice
  5. spring — of water
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. spring — a coil
  9. fall — the season
  10. net — for catching
  11. fall — to drop
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. mug — a face
  14. net — after costs
  15. mug — to rob
  16. drill — army training
  17. spring — the season
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. fall — to drop
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. object — a thing
  22. object — to protest
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. mug — a cup

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