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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pass · hand · trunk · land · fork · lash · shower · drill

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. drill — a practice
  3. drill — the tool
  4. land — ground
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. hand — in cards
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. land — a country
  12. shower — rain
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. drill — army training
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. fork — in a road
  20. pass — a permit
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. hand — help
  23. shower — to wash
  24. lash — an eyelash

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