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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 · rule · pound · nail · craft · band · trunk · fan

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. pound — a weight
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. wound — an injury
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. band — a music group
  10. craft — a skill
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. craft — boats
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. wound — an injury
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. band — a ring
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. rule — a law
  24. rule — government

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