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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 · saw · current · last · chest · mouse · drill · mate

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. drill — a practice
  8. drill — the tool
  9. mate — a friend
  10. last — to go on
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. mate — a partner
  13. chest — a box
  14. last — finally
  15. mate — to breed
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. current — happening now
  18. current — of water
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. chest — of your body
  21. last — final
  22. chest — of your body
  23. current — electric
  24. mouse — the animal

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