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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.

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: pound · spell · land · mouse · hand · board · trunk · kid

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. land — a country
  4. kid — child
  5. pound — a weight
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. spell — a short time
  9. spell — magic
  10. spell — letters
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. land — to come down
  14. kid — to tease
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. land — ground
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. board — to get on
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. hand — help
  23. board — a committee
  24. hand — in cards

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