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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: wound · trunk · swing · lash · bulb · key · cold · bore

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bore — to drill
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. cold — an illness
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. cold — not warm
  10. swing — to play on
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. key — for a lock
  14. swing — in golf
  15. key — the most important part
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — for light
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. key — in music
  24. swing — music

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