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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: patient · wake · drill · pit · trunk · nail · straw · shower

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. pit — in a race
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. drill — a practice
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. pit — a hole
  18. shower — rain
  19. drill — army training
  20. drill — the tool
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. shower — to wash
  24. nail — for a hammer

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