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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: rock · clip · trunk · suit · deal · cell · drill · mine

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. clip — to cut
  3. drill — the tool
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. suit — in cards
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mine — for digging
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. clip — a video
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. suit — to fit
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. cell — in biology
  17. deal — to handle
  18. drill — a practice
  19. rock — music
  20. rock — a stone
  21. cell — a phone
  22. clip — for paper
  23. suit — clothes
  24. rock — to move gently

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