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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bound — certain
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. spell — a short time
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. lean — thin
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. mate — to breed
  11. spell — letters
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. lean — to bend
  14. squash — the sport
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. bound — tied together
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. squash — to crush
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. mate — a partner
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. spell — magic
  24. bark — to shout

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