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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: pound · sharp · drill · trunk · straw · arm · saw · present

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. drill — army training
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. present — there
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. drill — a practice
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. drill — the tool
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. pound — a weight
  17. saw — the tool
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. sharp — clever
  21. present — a gift
  22. saw — the tool
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. present — the time now

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