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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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Word bank
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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: bound · arm · capital · root · perch · rash · chest · trunk

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. bound — tied together
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. root — of a plant
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. bound — certain
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. capital — money
  12. rash — a series
  13. rash — hasty
  14. root — of a word
  15. chest — a box
  16. perch — the fish
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. chest — of your body
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. root — the cause
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. chest — of your body
  24. capital — a city

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