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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. drill — the tool
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. current — happening now
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. bound — certain
  8. can — a tin
  9. bound — tied together
  10. current — of water
  11. drill — army training
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. can — a tin
  15. bound — obliged
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. can — to be able to
  18. pound — a weight
  19. drill — a practice
  20. current — electric
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. mine — for digging

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