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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bound — obliged
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bound — certain
  9. pound — a weight
  10. cap — of ice
  11. mate — to breed
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. mate — a friend
  15. bark — to shout
  16. cap — a hat
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. branch — a division
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. mate — a partner
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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