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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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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: rest · present · lie · trunk · bore · field · wind · pound

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. lie — to recline
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. rest — a break
  5. field — a subject
  6. field — farmland
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. present — the time now
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. bore — to drill
  14. present — a gift
  15. present — there
  16. wind — moving air
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bore — to tire
  20. pound — a weight
  21. rest — what's left
  22. field — for sport
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. rest — what's left

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