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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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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. field — for sport
  6. last — to go on
  7. bore — to drill
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. field — a subject
  10. spell — magic
  11. field — farmland
  12. bound — tied together
  13. rush — hurry
  14. last — final
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. snap — to click
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bound — certain
  20. spell — a short time
  21. last — finally
  22. bore — to tire
  23. spell — letters
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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