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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: wound · trunk · pitcher · sharp · pound · fine · rash · bear

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. bear — the animal
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. sharp — clever
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bear — the animal
  9. fine — high quality
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. fine — all right
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pound — a weight
  19. wound — an injury
  20. rash — a series
  21. rash — hasty
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. bear — to put up with

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