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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: pit · tube · hide · drill · bound · nail · branch · trunk

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. branch — a division
  5. drill — a practice
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. pit — a hole
  9. pit — in a race
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. tube — a container
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bound — obliged
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. tube — the underground
  20. bound — tied together
  21. drill — army training
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. bound — certain
  24. drill — the tool

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