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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: trunk · rash · stick · rest · cell · cap · pitcher · drill

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. cap — of ice
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. cap — a lid
  8. rash — hasty
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. drill — the tool
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. cell — a phone
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. rash — a series
  17. rest — what's left
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. drill — army training
  20. drill — a practice
  21. cap — a hat
  22. rest — a break
  23. cell — in biology
  24. rest — what's left

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