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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 · arm · drill · root · spring · saw · nail · jam

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. drill — a practice
  3. saw — the tool
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. root — of a plant
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. root — the cause
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. saw — the tool
  11. root — of a word
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. drill — the tool
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. drill — army training
  21. spring — of water
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. spring — a coil

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