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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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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: march · prune · chest · key · bound · lean · squash · foot

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. bound — obliged
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. march — music
  6. key — the most important part
  7. bound — tied together
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. march — the month
  10. chest — of your body
  11. prune — to trim
  12. foot — a measure
  13. prune — to trim
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. key — in music
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. squash — the sport
  18. march — the month
  19. key — for a lock
  20. chest — of your body
  21. squash — to crush
  22. lean — to bend
  23. lean — thin
  24. bound — certain

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