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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: wake · drill · hide · leaves · pop · stick · fan · trunk

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. drill — a practice
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. drill — the tool
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. pop — soda
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. pop — music
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. drill — army training
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. pop — to visit
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. trunk — of a car

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