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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: drill · spell · coach · root · fine · scale · trunk · net

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. scale — size or range
  4. drill — a practice
  5. net — in sport
  6. drill — army training
  7. net — after costs
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. spell — letters
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. fine — all right
  13. spell — magic
  14. root — the cause
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. scale — in music
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. drill — the tool
  20. root — of a word
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. fine — high quality
  23. net — for catching
  24. root — of a plant

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