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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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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 · pound · leaves · trunk · kid · drill · dip · ruler

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. pound — a weight
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. drill — the tool
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mine — for digging
  11. kid — child
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. kid — to tease
  17. drill — a practice
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. dip — to sink
  22. drill — army training
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. leaves — to go away

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