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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: pound · chair · trunk · temple · calf · clip · game · bore

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. pound — a weight
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. clip — for paper
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. game — wild animals
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. clip — a video
  16. chair — a leader
  17. bore — to drill
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. bore — to tire
  20. clip — to cut
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. game — a match
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. trunk — of a tree

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