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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: mate · kid · trunk · bore · rash · saw · pound · wound

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  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. trunk — of an elephant
  2. wound — an injury
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. saw — the tool
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. mate — a friend
  7. mate — to breed
  8. rash — a series
  9. bore — to tire
  10. kid — child
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. kid — to tease
  15. wound — an injury
  16. saw — the tool
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. mate — a partner
  20. pound — a weight
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. rash — hasty
  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