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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bowl · bore · rock · march · wound · trunk · fine · file

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. wound — an injury
  4. fine — high quality
  5. file — a line of people
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. rock — a stone
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. file — a tool
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. bore — to drill
  14. march — the month
  15. file — a document
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. march — the month
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. march — music
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. bore — to tire
  22. fine — all right
  23. wound — an injury
  24. rock — music

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