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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 116 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: clip · pound · field · trunk · bore · lie · perch · cap

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. lie — to recline
  3. bore — to drill
  4. cap — a lid
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. field — a subject
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. pound — a weight
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. clip — a video
  15. cap — a hat
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. clip — to cut
  19. perch — the fish
  20. field — for sport
  21. clip — for paper
  22. cap — of ice
  23. field — farmland
  24. bore — to tire

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