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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: shower · race · trunk · leaves · drill · lie · last · fan

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. drill — the tool
  4. drill — army training
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. drill — a practice
  8. race — humankind
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. last — to go on
  12. race — the arms race
  13. last — finally
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. shower — rain
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. shower — to wash
  21. race — a contest
  22. last — final
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — to recline

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