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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. band — a ring
  3. can — a tin
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. ground — the earth
  7. band — a music group
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. fork — in a road
  10. row — a line
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. ground — a position
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. can — a tin
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. rash — hasty
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. row — to paddle
  20. ground — crushed
  21. can — to be able to
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bound — obliged
  24. rash — a series

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