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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. bound — tied together
  4. club — a group
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. suit — to fit
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. bound — certain
  10. drill — army training
  11. drill — the tool
  12. club — for dancing
  13. drill — a practice
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. file — a tool
  16. suit — clothes
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. file — a document
  19. club — for golf
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. wake — a trail
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. file — a line of people
  24. bound — obliged

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