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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 · hand · can · bore · tear · game · bass · cabinet

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. tear — to rip
  4. bore — to tire
  5. can — to be able to
  6. bore — to drill
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. game — a match
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bass — low music
  11. hand — help
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. can — a tin
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. game — wild animals
  17. bass — the fish
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hand — in cards
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. can — a tin
  22. tear — from crying
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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