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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
468
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: last · chest · season · drill · plane · trunk · perch · snap

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. chest — a box
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. chest — of your body
  9. season — of the year
  10. drill — a practice
  11. drill — the tool
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. drill — army training
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. perch — the fish
  17. snap — to click
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. season — in sport
  20. last — to go on
  21. last — final
  22. chest — of your body
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. plane — a tool

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