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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. bound — obliged
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. cell — a phone
  9. cell — in biology
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bulb — for light
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. content — the amount
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. wound — an injury
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. content — happy
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bound — tied together
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. bulb — for light
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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