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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: mine · content · sharp · bore · bass · bound · perch · trunk

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bass — low music
  4. perch — the fish
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. content — happy
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bore — to drill
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bound — certain
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. bound — obliged
  17. content — the amount
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. bore — to tire
  20. sharp — clever
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. content — videos and posts

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