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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: trunk · bound · band · rest · arm · saw · chest · pitch

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. bound — tied together
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. chest — a box
  5. band — a ring
  6. band — a music group
  7. pitch — completely
  8. rest — what's left
  9. chest — of your body
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. rest — what's left
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. rest — a break
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. saw — the tool
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. bound — certain
  20. bound — obliged
  21. saw — the tool
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. chest — of your body

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