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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: trunk · lean · last · bore · bowl · safe · mark · row

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. mark — a grade
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. last — finally
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. last — to go on
  8. bore — to drill
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. mark — a trace
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. lean — to bend
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. last — final
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. row — a line
  21. row — to paddle
  22. lean — thin
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. bore — to tire

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