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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: nail · bound · swing · fine · stock · kid · trunk · calf

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. swing — to play on
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. kid — to tease
  5. bound — certain
  6. fine — all right
  7. fine — high quality
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. swing — in golf
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. bound — tied together
  16. stock — shares
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. kid — child
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. swing — music
  23. stock — goods
  24. nail — for a hammer

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