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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: game · chest · mine · wound · bowl · can · bore · trunk

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. bore — to drill
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. game — wild animals
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. wound — an injury
  7. can — a tin
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — a box
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. game — a match
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. can — a tin
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. chest — of your body
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. wound — an injury
  23. can — to be able to
  24. mine — for digging

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