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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bound — tied together
  4. game — a match
  5. band — a ring
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. game — wild animals
  8. saw — the tool
  9. band — a music group
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. bound — certain
  13. mate — a partner
  14. bound — obliged
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. mate — a friend
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. mate — to breed

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