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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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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 · pop · bore · trunk · kid · stem · swing · straw

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. swing — to play on
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. stem — to come from
  8. kid — child
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. swing — in golf
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. swing — music
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. pound — a weight
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. bore — to tire
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pop — music
  20. kid — to tease
  21. pop — soda
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. straw — a straw man

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