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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: trunk · straw · bore · ground · kid · stem · nail · hide

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. ground — the earth
  9. bore — to drill
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. stem — to come from
  13. kid — to tease
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. kid — child
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. bore — to tire
  19. ground — a position
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. ground — crushed
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. stem — of a plant

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