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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 · band · drill · spell · rock · sharp · ground · leaves

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. spell — magic
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. band — a ring
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. drill — the tool
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. rock — music
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. drill — army training
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. drill — a practice
  15. spell — a short time
  16. ground — the earth
  17. spell — letters
  18. ground — crushed
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. ground — a position
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. sharp — clever
  24. band — a music group

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