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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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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: rash · pound · trunk · bound · suit · row · staff · wake

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. row — a line
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. bound — obliged
  6. staff — employees
  7. bound — tied together
  8. rash — hasty
  9. rash — a series
  10. wake — a trail
  11. bound — certain
  12. row — to paddle
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. suit — in cards
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. suit — clothes
  20. suit — to fit
  21. staff — employees
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. staff — a stick
  24. pound — a weight

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