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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 120 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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. bank — for money
  3. content — the amount
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — in sport
  7. bound — obliged
  8. pop — to visit
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. bank — of a river
  11. bound — certain
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. pop — music
  14. content — happy
  15. row — to paddle
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. pop — soda
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. bound — tied together
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. bank — for money
  24. row — a line

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