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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. pit — a hole
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. staff — employees
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. kid — to tease
  8. staff — a stick
  9. current — happening now
  10. kid — child
  11. pit — in a race
  12. current — of water
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. staff — employees
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. bear — the animal
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. bore — to tire
  19. current — electric
  20. bore — to drill
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. bear — the animal
  24. mine — for digging

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