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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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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 · pitcher · tear · toast · band · perch · bore · key

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. tear — from crying
  4. key — in music
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bore — to drill
  7. key — for a lock
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. tear — to rip
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. bore — to tire
  13. tear — from crying
  14. band — a ring
  15. band — a music group
  16. perch — the fish
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. key — the most important part
  24. perch — for a bird

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