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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 · bat · saw · mark · wake · drill · trunk · tube

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. wake — a trail
  4. spell — letters
  5. spell — a short time
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. drill — the tool
  10. tube — a container
  11. mark — a grade
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. spell — magic
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bat — the animal
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. mark — a trace
  21. drill — army training
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. tube — the underground
  24. saw — the tool

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