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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: pound · cue · trunk · bore · mine · drill · club · patient

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. mine — for digging
  3. cue — for pool
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. club — for golf
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. club — for dancing
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. drill — army training
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. club — a group
  16. bore — to drill
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. cue — a signal
  19. drill — a practice
  20. bore — to tire
  21. cue — a hint
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. drill — the tool
  24. pound — a weight

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