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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 · stick · land · drill · saw · pitcher · rock · spell

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. drill — army training
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. spell — a short time
  6. rock — music
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. saw — the tool
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. land — a country
  11. drill — the tool
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. spell — letters
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. drill — a practice
  18. saw — the tool
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. land — ground
  21. rock — a stone
  22. spell — magic
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. land — to come down

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