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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 · spring · ground · prune · bore · temple · kid · mouse

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. prune — to trim
  6. ground — a position
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. ground — crushed
  9. kid — to tease
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. ground — the earth
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. spring — a coil
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. kid — child
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. bore — to tire
  21. bore — to drill
  22. spring — of water
  23. prune — to trim
  24. mouse — the animal

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