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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: can · season · trunk · pass · drill · roll · wound · dip

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. can — a tin
  4. drill — army training
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. dip — to sink
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. season — of the year
  10. wound — an injury
  11. season — in sport
  12. wound — an injury
  13. can — to be able to
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. can — a tin
  16. roll — a cake
  17. pass — a permit
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. drill — the tool
  21. drill — a practice
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. roll — a list

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