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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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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 · drill · bowl · arm · cold · band · safe · chest

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. drill — a practice
  3. cold — an illness
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. band — a ring
  7. drill — army training
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. band — a music group
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — a box
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. cold — not warm
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. chest — of your body
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. safe — out of danger

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