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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: stick · mouse · kid · squash · pound · trunk · date · bound

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. kid — to tease
  4. bound — certain
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. squash — to crush
  7. date — the fruit
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. kid — child
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. bound — obliged
  14. squash — the sport
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. bound — tied together
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. pound — a weight
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. mouse — the animal

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