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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. pound — a weight
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bound — certain
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. bass — low music
  13. bass — the fish
  14. date — the fruit
  15. bound — tied together
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. prune — to trim
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. prune — to trim
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. ruler — for measuring

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