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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. object — to protest
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bound — tied together
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. object — an aim
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. hand — help
  17. object — a thing
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. rash — a series
  21. hand — in cards
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bound — certain
  24. rash — hasty

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