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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: content · file · bound · rock · toast · wound · stick · trunk

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. file — a tool
  5. rock — a stone
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. file — a document
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bound — obliged
  11. content — happy
  12. bound — certain
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. content — the amount
  15. rock — music
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. wound — an injury
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. file — a line of people
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. wound — an injury

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