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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. hand — in cards
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bore — to tire
  8. band — a ring
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. content — the amount
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. fine — all right
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. fine — high quality
  17. bore — to drill
  18. band — a music group
  19. ground — crushed
  20. hand — help
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. content — happy
  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