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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: trunk · chip · present · spell · wind · saw · ruler · plane

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. saw — the tool
  3. plane — a tool
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. spell — magic
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. chip — for betting
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. present — the time now
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. present — a gift
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. wind — moving air
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. present — there
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. spell — letters
  22. spell — a short time
  23. chip — to eat
  24. saw — the tool

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