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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 120 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: last · lean · pop · rash · drill · root · trunk · fan

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. pop — soda
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. rash — a series
  7. last — final
  8. lean — thin
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. drill — the tool
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. last — finally
  14. root — of a plant
  15. pop — to visit
  16. drill — a practice
  17. pop — music
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. lean — to bend
  21. drill — army training
  22. root — of a word
  23. root — the cause
  24. fan — a supporter

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