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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: drill · stem · sharp · toast · fine · march · staff · trunk

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. fine — high quality
  4. fine — all right
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. staff — a stick
  7. toast — bread
  8. march — music
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. sharp — clever
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. march — the month
  15. drill — a practice
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. march — the month
  18. drill — army training
  19. staff — employees
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. staff — employees
  22. stem — to come from
  23. drill — the tool
  24. trunk — of a tree

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