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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: ground · bore · mate · trunk · lash · pit · current · spell

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. mate — a friend
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. pit — in a race
  7. pit — a hole
  8. bore — to tire
  9. mate — a partner
  10. spell — magic
  11. mate — to breed
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. ground — the earth
  14. current — happening now
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. ground — a position
  17. bore — to drill
  18. current — electric
  19. spell — letters
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. spell — a short time
  22. ground — crushed
  23. current — of water
  24. bore — gave birth

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