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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: wake · straw · trunk · pop · dip · lie · march · bound

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. pop — to visit
  3. bound — obliged
  4. pop — music
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. lie — to recline
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. pop — soda
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. march — the month
  13. wake — a trail
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. dip — to sink
  16. march — music
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. bound — certain
  20. march — the month
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. bound — tied together
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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