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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bat · straw · trunk · present · bank · drill · key · rush

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. drill — a practice
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. bat — the animal
  5. drill — the tool
  6. present — a gift
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. key — the most important part
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bank — for money
  12. bank — of a river
  13. key — for a lock
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. rush — hurry
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. drill — army training
  20. key — in music
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. bank — for money
  23. present — there
  24. present — the time now

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