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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.

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: drill · straw · calf · trunk · rock · prune · cap · squash

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. squash — to crush
  3. drill — the tool
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. drill — army training
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. prune — to trim
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cap — a lid
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. prune — to trim
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. cap — a hat
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. drill — a practice
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. squash — the sport
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. rock — a stone
  24. prune — the fruit

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