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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.

Words on the sheet
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: trunk · bore · spring · game · bound · leaves · cell · wind

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. bore — to tire
  5. bound — certain
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bore — to drill
  8. spring — a coil
  9. wind — moving air
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. cell — in biology
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. cell — a phone
  15. bound — tied together
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wind — moving air
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. game — wild animals
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. spring — of water
  22. spring — the season
  23. game — a match
  24. bound — obliged

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