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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: bore · bound · wound · pitch · game · trunk · club · temple

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. game — wild animals
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. bound — certain
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bound — obliged
  11. club — for dancing
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. wound — an injury
  15. club — for golf
  16. bore — to tire
  17. club — a group
  18. game — a match
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. pitch — completely
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. bore — gave birth

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