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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. kid — to tease
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. bound — certain
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. cap — a hat
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bank — for money
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. march — the month
  13. cap — a lid
  14. kid — child
  15. bound — tied together
  16. march — music
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bound — obliged
  19. roll — a cake
  20. cap — of ice
  21. bank — for money
  22. bank — of a river
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. march — the month

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