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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 120 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: chest · wound · cabinet · bore · pitcher · trunk · scale · safe

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. chest — of your body
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. bore — to tire
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — an injury
  18. chest — of your body
  19. scale — size or range
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. scale — in music
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. chest — a box
  24. bore — to drill

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