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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: bore · track · trunk · bat · tube · saw · bear · mine

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. bore — to tire
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. bat — the animal
  8. saw — the tool
  9. tube — a container
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. tube — the underground
  12. bore — to drill
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. track — a path
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. track — a song
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. saw — the tool
  21. track — to keep track
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. mine — for digging
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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