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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. foot — a measure
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bound — certain
  5. squash — to crush
  6. field — a subject
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. wake — a trail
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. bound — tied together
  17. field — for sport
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. squash — the sport
  21. field — farmland
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. wake — before a funeral

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