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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 120 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: object · bound · bat · press · trunk · spring · bore · wound

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. bore — to tire
  3. spring — a coil
  4. spring — the season
  5. bat — the animal
  6. press — newspapers
  7. object — an aim
  8. press — a publisher
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. spring — of water
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. wound — an injury
  13. press — to push
  14. object — to protest
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bound — obliged
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bound — tied together
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. bore — to drill
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. bound — certain

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