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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: object · drill · straw · squash · fan · trunk · date · pop

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. date — the fruit
  3. drill — the tool
  4. drill — a practice
  5. squash — to crush
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. object — to protest
  10. squash — the sport
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. drill — army training
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. pop — soda
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. object — an aim
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. pop — music
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. pop — to visit
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. object — a thing

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