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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: band · content · drill · net · trunk · cap · bore · rest

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. rest — a break
  5. bore — to tire
  6. band — a ring
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. drill — a practice
  10. rest — what's left
  11. band — a music group
  12. net — after costs
  13. drill — the tool
  14. cap — a lid
  15. content — happy
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. net — for catching
  18. content — the amount
  19. drill — army training
  20. cap — of ice
  21. rest — what's left
  22. net — in sport
  23. bore — to drill
  24. cap — a hat

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