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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 120 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 · cap · fork · snap · wound · dip · trunk · spring

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. wound — an injury
  3. spring — of water
  4. fork — in a road
  5. drill — the tool
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. cap — a lid
  9. spring — the season
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. snap — to click
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. dip — to sink
  17. drill — a practice
  18. cap — a hat
  19. spring — a coil
  20. cap — of ice
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. drill — army training
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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