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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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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: leaves · pop · perch · sharp · mine · stock · bore · trunk

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. pop — soda
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. pop — music
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. sharp — clever
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. bore — to tire
  14. stock — goods
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. pop — to visit
  17. perch — the fish
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. bore — to drill
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. stock — shares
  24. sharp — exactly

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