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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 120 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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. capital — money
  3. bound — obliged
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. can — to be able to
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. bound — certain
  12. band — a music group
  13. band — a ring
  14. content — the amount
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. capital — a city
  18. kid — to tease
  19. kid — child
  20. can — a tin
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. bound — tied together
  23. content — happy
  24. can — a tin

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