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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. bound — obliged
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. current — happening now
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. bound — tied together
  9. wind — moving air
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. bound — certain
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wind — moving air
  16. band — a ring
  17. band — a music group
  18. current — electric
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. pound — a weight
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. current — of water
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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