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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. last — final
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bound — tied together
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. tube — the underground
  9. tube — a container
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. fine — high quality
  12. firm — a company
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. last — to go on
  15. swing — to play on
  16. firm — decided
  17. bound — certain
  18. fine — all right
  19. firm — steady
  20. wound — an injury
  21. swing — in golf
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. last — finally
  24. swing — music

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