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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: mouse · row · bore · trunk · tube · field · mine · rest

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. bore — to drill
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. rest — what's left
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. rest — a break
  8. rest — what's left
  9. field — farmland
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. mine — for digging
  14. bore — to tire
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. row — a line
  17. field — for sport
  18. field — a subject
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. tube — a container
  24. row — to paddle

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