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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bore · cell · dip · chair · kick · trunk

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. bore — to tire
  3. cell — a phone
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. dip — to sink
  14. cell — in biology
  15. chair — a leader
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. kick — in football
  18. dip — to dunk

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