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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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Word bank
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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: tear · trunk · kick · bore · fork · march

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. bore — to tire
  4. bore — to drill
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. tear — from crying
  8. march — the month
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. fork — in a road
  12. march — the month
  13. march — music
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. tear — to rip
  18. kick — in football

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