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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 116 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: bore · rock · kid · cue · trunk · march · prune · object

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bore — to tire
  3. object — to protest
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. kid — to tease
  6. prune — to trim
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. object — an aim
  10. cue — for pool
  11. cue — a hint
  12. cue — a signal
  13. bore — to drill
  14. march — the month
  15. rock — a stone
  16. rock — music
  17. march — the month
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. object — a thing
  20. kid — child
  21. prune — to trim
  22. march — music
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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