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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 116 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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bear — the animal
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. bank — for money
  9. cell — a phone
  10. bear — the animal
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. game — a match
  14. field — a subject
  15. bank — for money
  16. field — for sport
  17. field — farmland
  18. kick — in football
  19. bank — of a river
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. bound — certain
  22. bound — tied together
  23. game — wild animals
  24. bear — to put up with

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