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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: trunk · nail · court · chest · bore · straw · pop · ruler

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. chest — a box
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. chest — of your body
  7. court — for sport
  8. bore — to drill
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. pop — to visit
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. pop — music
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. chest — of your body
  19. pop — soda
  20. court — of law
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. court — of a king
  23. bore — to tire
  24. nail — for a hammer

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