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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.

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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  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. mate — to breed
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bore — to tire
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. bass — low music
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. mate — a partner
  8. squash — the sport
  9. mate — a friend
  10. bass — the fish
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bound — certain
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. bound — obliged
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. squash — to crush
  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