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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: pit · nail · branch · straw · ground · trunk · bore · saw

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. pit — a hole
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. bore — to tire
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. pit — in a race
  10. branch — a division
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. bore — to drill
  14. saw — the tool
  15. ground — the earth
  16. ground — a position
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. ground — crushed
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. straw — a straw man
  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