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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: mark · prune · drill · land · calf · dip · saw · trunk

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. saw — the tool
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. prune — to trim
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. drill — the tool
  14. mark — a grade
  15. land — to come down
  16. land — a country
  17. land — ground
  18. dip — to sink
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. drill — a practice
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. saw — the tool
  23. mark — a trace
  24. mark — to pay attention

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