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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: pound · tear · rest · game · present · foot · season · trunk

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. pound — a weight
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. present — a gift
  5. rest — what's left
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. tear — to rip
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. game — wild animals
  11. rest — what's left
  12. present — the time now
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. tear — from crying
  15. rest — a break
  16. foot — a measure
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. present — there
  19. season — of the year
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. game — a match
  22. tear — from crying
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. season — in sport

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