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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. wound — an injury
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bear — the animal
  6. mate — a partner
  7. bore — to tire
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. content — happy
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bore — to drill
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. mate — a friend
  18. pitch — completely
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. mate — to breed
  22. content — the amount
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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