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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. club — for dancing
  3. bound — certain
  4. mine — for digging
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. bound — tied together
  7. club — for golf
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. bore — to drill
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. club — a group
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. dip — to sink
  18. bore — to tire

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