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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: trunk · drill · swing · jam · bore · pit · bark · clip

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. drill — a practice
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. swing — to play on
  5. bark — to shout
  6. swing — in golf
  7. clip — for paper
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. clip — a video
  12. pit — in a race
  13. bore — to tire
  14. clip — to cut
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. drill — army training
  20. swing — music
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. pit — a hole
  24. drill — the tool

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