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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 120 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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. club — for golf
  4. club — for dancing
  5. bore — to drill
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. plane — a tool
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. scale — size or range
  13. club — a group
  14. mine — for digging
  15. pound — a weight
  16. bore — to tire
  17. scale — in music
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. wound — an injury
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. plane — in geometry

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