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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 120 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: rock · drill · arm · hide · plane · wind · trunk · spring

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. spring — the season
  3. wind — moving air
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. drill — army training
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. spring — a coil
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. drill — the tool
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. rock — a stone
  18. drill — a practice
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. plane — a tool
  23. wind — moving air
  24. rock — music

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