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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. prune — to trim
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. prune — to trim
  6. race — a contest
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. bound — obliged
  12. kick — in football
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. race — the arms race
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. mate — a friend
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bound — tied together
  21. mate — a partner
  22. race — humankind
  23. mate — to breed
  24. kick — with a leg

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