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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. wound — an injury
  4. field — for sport
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. content — happy
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. field — farmland
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. content — the amount
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. vault — a safe
  20. bore — to tire
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. field — a subject
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. bore — to drill

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