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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: cold · jam · last · pound · trunk · pass · ground · bore

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. last — final
  5. bore — to drill
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. pass — a permit
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. bore — to tire
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. cold — an illness
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. last — finally
  17. ground — crushed
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. last — to go on
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. ground — a position
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. ground — the earth

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