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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. bound — tied together
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. bound — obliged
  5. last — finally
  6. last — to go on
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. last — final
  11. prune — to trim
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wind — moving air
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. prune — to trim
  24. rush — hurry

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