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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.

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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 · last · staff · face · season · nail · stand · drill

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. face — to point toward
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. drill — the tool
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. last — final
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. last — finally
  10. staff — a stick
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. drill — a practice
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. staff — employees
  15. face — part of the head
  16. staff — employees
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. face — to confront
  19. last — to go on
  20. season — in sport
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. season — of the year
  24. drill — army training

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