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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bore — to drill
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. degree — from a university
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — the tool
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. pit — in a race
  10. degree — temperature
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. file — a line of people
  16. file — a tool
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. wax — to grow
  21. file — a document
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. degree — an amount
  24. pit — a hole

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