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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fork · hand · drill · trunk · mouse · rash · bound · kick

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. rash — a series
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. hand — help
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. kick — in football
  11. bound — obliged
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. hand — in cards
  14. drill — a practice
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. rash — hasty
  17. bound — certain
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. drill — the tool
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. fork — in a road
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. bound — tied together

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