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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: bear · chair · trunk · pitch · track · bore · fork · wound

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. bore — to tire
  3. wound — an injury
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. track — a song
  7. bore — to drill
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. bear — the animal
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. fork — in a road
  13. wound — an injury
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. bear — the animal
  16. chair — a leader
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. track — a path
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. pitch — completely
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. track — to keep track

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