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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: nail · bore · fall · fine · straw · last · track · trunk

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. last — to go on
  3. track — a path
  4. last — final
  5. fall — the season
  6. fall — to drop
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. last — finally
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. track — to keep track
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bore — to tire
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. fine — high quality
  16. track — a song
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bore — to drill
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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