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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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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. bore — to tire
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. kick — in football
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. bore — to drill
  11. wound — an injury
  12. chest — of your body
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. chest — a box
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. chest — of your body
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. ball — a great time
  21. wound — an injury
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — a sick person

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