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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: deal · clip · bore · game · wound · trunk · rash · rest

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. rash — a series
  3. wound — an injury
  4. rest — a break
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. game — wild animals
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. clip — for paper
  12. game — a match
  13. bore — to tire
  14. deal — to handle
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. wound — an injury
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. clip — a video
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. bore — to drill

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