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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: spell · club · bound · last · trunk · straw · jam · drill

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. bound — tied together
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. last — to go on
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. spell — a short time
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. last — finally
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. drill — a practice
  11. club — for dancing
  12. club — a group
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. drill — army training
  16. spell — letters
  17. bound — certain
  18. spell — magic
  19. drill — the tool
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. bound — obliged
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. club — for golf

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