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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. fine — high quality
  3. prune — to trim
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. club — for golf
  7. club — for dancing
  8. fine — all right
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. prune — to trim
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. bound — tied together
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. wound — an injury
  22. club — a group
  23. bound — certain
  24. wound — an injury

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