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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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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 · march · stem · chest · drill · wound · racket · bore

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bore — to drill
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. stem — to come from
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. wound — an injury
  10. drill — a practice
  11. march — the month
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. bore — to tire
  15. march — music
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. chest — of your body
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. drill — army training
  20. drill — the tool
  21. march — the month
  22. chest — a box
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. chest — of your body

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