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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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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: kick · spring · bore · wound · swing · pass · trunk · squash

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. spring — of water
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. swing — in golf
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. spring — the season
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. squash — the sport
  12. swing — music
  13. kick — in football
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. spring — a coil
  16. bore — to tire
  17. bore — to drill
  18. wound — an injury
  19. swing — to play on
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. squash — to crush
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. pass — a permit

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