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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bound — obliged
  7. scale — size or range
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. bound — tied together
  10. firm — decided
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. capital — a city
  13. firm — steady
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. firm — a company
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. scale — in music
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. capital — money
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. wound — an injury
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. hide — animal skin

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