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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: mug · trunk · bass · bowl · drill · tube · last · key

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. last — final
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. key — the most important part
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. mug — a face
  7. mug — a cup
  8. tube — a container
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. last — finally
  11. bass — the fish
  12. mug — to rob
  13. bass — low music
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. key — in music
  16. drill — army training
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. drill — a practice
  20. key — for a lock
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. tube — the underground
  23. drill — the tool
  24. last — to go on

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