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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: trunk · drill · ground · cap · present · cell · season · straw

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. present — a gift
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. present — there
  6. drill — the tool
  7. ground — the earth
  8. present — the time now
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. ground — crushed
  11. ground — a position
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. cap — a lid
  14. cap — a hat
  15. season — in sport
  16. cap — of ice
  17. drill — a practice
  18. drill — army training
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. cell — a phone
  23. season — of the year
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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