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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pound · bound · trunk · rule · squash · prune · stick · bass

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bound — certain
  3. rule — government
  4. bass — the fish
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. prune — to trim
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. prune — to trim
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. squash — to crush
  16. bound — tied together
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. squash — the sport
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. rule — a law
  21. pound — a weight
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. bass — low 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