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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 116 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: trunk · bound · bat · kick · hide · firm · stick · prune

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. prune — to trim
  4. firm — decided
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. kick — in football
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. firm — a company
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. firm — steady
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bound — certain
  24. bound — tied together

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