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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 120 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: shower · saw · wake · bowl · bulb · last · trunk · staff

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. staff — employees
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. last — to go on
  6. saw — the tool
  7. shower — to wash
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. staff — a stick
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. staff — employees
  12. bulb — for light
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. bulb — for light
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. shower — rain
  22. wake — a trail
  23. last — finally
  24. last — final

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