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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: leaves · ruler · hand · file · wound · trunk · drill · net

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. wound — an injury
  3. file — a tool
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. hand — in cards
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. drill — the tool
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. file — a document
  11. hand — help
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. drill — army training
  14. file — a line of people
  15. drill — a practice
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — for catching
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. wound — an injury
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. net — in sport

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