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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: key · fork · cell · rash · sharp · mine · trunk · drill

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. cell — in biology
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. rash — hasty
  8. cell — a phone
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. drill — the tool
  12. rash — a series
  13. sharp — clever
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. mine — for digging
  16. key — in music
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. drill — army training
  20. fork — in a road
  21. key — the most important part
  22. drill — a practice
  23. key — for a lock
  24. rash — on the skin

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