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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 120 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: trunk · pound · wound · fine · cabinet · bore · game · tear

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. fine — high quality
  3. tear — to rip
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. game — wild animals
  9. game — a match
  10. pound — a weight
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. wound — an injury
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. fine — all right
  17. tear — from crying
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bore — to tire
  23. tear — from crying
  24. wound — an injury

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