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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 116 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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. land — to come down
  3. ground — the earth
  4. bore — to drill
  5. hand — help
  6. pop — to visit
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. pop — soda
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. bore — to tire
  16. wound — an injury
  17. land — a country
  18. ground — crushed
  19. land — ground
  20. hand — in cards
  21. wound — an injury
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. pop — music
  24. ground — a position

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