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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 · kick · trunk · drill · rock · racket · hand · track

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. hand — in cards
  4. hand — help
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. drill — the tool
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. kick — in football
  13. drill — a practice
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. last — finally
  16. track — a song
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. track — a path
  19. last — final
  20. drill — army training
  21. track — to keep track
  22. rock — a stone
  23. last — to go on
  24. rock — music

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