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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 116 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: rest · wave · game · ground · trunk · file · drill · perch

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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. ground — a position
  4. file — a document
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. ground — the earth
  10. ground — crushed
  11. drill — army training
  12. game — a match
  13. rest — a break
  14. perch — the fish
  15. game — wild animals
  16. file — a tool
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. rest — what's left
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. rest — what's left
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. file — a line of people

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