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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. present — the time now
  4. bound — certain
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. bound — obliged
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. cell — in biology
  9. key — for a lock
  10. present — there
  11. cell — a phone
  12. ball — a great time
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. key — in music
  19. bark — to shout
  20. ball — a dance
  21. present — a gift
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. bound — tied together

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