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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: object · rash · drill · trunk · ground · wind · plane · saw

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. ground — a position
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. object — a thing
  5. saw — the tool
  6. rash — hasty
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. wind — moving air
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. object — an aim
  12. drill — army training
  13. drill — the tool
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. ground — crushed
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. rash — a series
  19. plane — a tool
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. object — to protest
  22. drill — a practice
  23. wind — moving air
  24. ground — the earth

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