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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: game · bound · stock · bore · kick · lie · squash · trunk

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. squash — to crush
  4. bore — to drill
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. kick — in football
  8. stock — shares
  9. bound — certain
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. bound — obliged
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — to recline
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. bound — tied together
  17. stock — goods
  18. game — a match
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. game — wild animals
  22. bore — to tire
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. squash — the 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