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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bound — certain
  3. stock — shares
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. wake — a trail
  6. stock — goods
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. mug — a cup
  10. can — to be able to
  11. row — a line
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. can — a tin
  15. mug — a face
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. row — to paddle
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. can — a tin
  21. mug — to rob
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. bound — tied together

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