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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 116 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
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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: hide · ground · squash · drill · trunk · present · spring · sharp

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. spring — of water
  3. present — a gift
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. drill — the tool
  8. ground — the earth
  9. squash — the sport
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. squash — to crush
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. spring — the season
  16. present — there
  17. present — the time now
  18. spring — a coil
  19. drill — army training
  20. sharp — clever
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. ground — a position
  24. drill — a practice

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