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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. bore — to drill
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. fine — all right
  6. bore — to tire
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. fine — high quality
  9. pound — a weight
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — obliged
  17. cold — not warm
  18. prune — to trim
  19. cold — an illness
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bound — tied together
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. cold — the Cold War

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