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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: cue · lean · staff · saw · pitcher · trunk · court · drill

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. drill — army training
  3. lean — thin
  4. drill — a practice
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. court — for sport
  7. staff — employees
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. cue — a signal
  10. saw — the tool
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. cue — a hint
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. drill — the tool
  17. staff — a stick
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. cue — for pool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. court — of law
  22. staff — employees
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. court — of a king

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