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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: fork · tear · pit · trunk · bound · lean · mine · mate

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. bound — certain
  4. pit — in a race
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. mate — a friend
  9. fork — in a road
  10. lean — thin
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. tear — from crying
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. lean — to bend
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — to rip
  21. bound — tied together
  22. pit — a hole
  23. bound — obliged
  24. mate — a partner

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