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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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468
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: can · wound · kid · safe · mine · branch · bore · pound

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. pound — a weight
  3. mine — for digging
  4. bore — to drill
  5. can — a tin
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. bore — to tire
  9. wound — an injury
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. kid — child
  19. branch — a division
  20. kid — to tease
  21. can — to be able to
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. bore — gave birth

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