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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. land — a country
  3. firm — a company
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. bound — obliged
  6. squash — to crush
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — for paper
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. bound — tied together
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. bound — certain
  15. land — ground
  16. firm — steady
  17. firm — decided
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. land — to come down
  20. squash — the sport
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. bark — to shout
  24. clip — to cut

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