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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
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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: field · present · bound · straw · trunk · kid · scale · press

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. field — for sport
  3. field — farmland
  4. scale — size or range
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. present — the time now
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. kid — child
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. bound — certain
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. field — a subject
  14. present — there
  15. press — a publisher
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. present — a gift
  19. press — to push
  20. scale — in music
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. bound — tied together
  23. press — newspapers
  24. kid — to tease

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