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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: wave · sharp · trunk · scale · bore · bound · cell · cabinet

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. bore — to drill
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. cell — a phone
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. bore — to tire
  9. cell — in biology
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bound — obliged
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. bound — certain
  19. bound — tied together
  20. sharp — clever
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. scale — in music
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. scale — size or range

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