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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: sharp · staff · trunk · dip · saw · spell · ground · hide

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. staff — a stick
  3. staff — employees
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. ground — crushed
  7. spell — a short time
  8. spell — magic
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. ground — the earth
  11. dip — to sink
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. sharp — clever
  16. spell — letters
  17. staff — employees
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. saw — the tool
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. sharp — with an edge

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