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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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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 · wound · ruler · bear · race · cell · pitcher · bore

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. cell — a phone
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. bear — the animal
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. race — humankind
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wound — an injury
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. race — the arms race
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. race — a contest
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bore — to drill
  22. wound — an injury
  23. cell — in biology
  24. trunk — of a car

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