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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: straw · spell · mine · rest · drill · trunk · hide · court

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. drill — a practice
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. rest — a break
  8. drill — the tool
  9. court — of a king
  10. spell — magic
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. drill — army training
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mine — for digging
  15. court — for sport
  16. court — of law
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — what's left
  19. spell — letters
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. spell — a short time
  24. mine — belonging to me

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