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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. mate — a friend
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. suit — to fit
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. bore — to tire
  10. mate — to breed
  11. mate — a partner
  12. tear — to rip
  13. suit — clothes
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bore — to drill
  17. row — a line
  18. row — to paddle
  19. mine — for digging
  20. tear — from crying
  21. suit — in cards
  22. tear — from crying
  23. pound — a weight
  24. pound — to hit hard

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