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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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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: patient · kid · band · content · bound · trunk · club · key

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. bound — tied together
  3. band — a music group
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. band — a ring
  6. bound — certain
  7. club — a group
  8. kid — to tease
  9. key — in music
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. club — for golf
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. content — the amount
  14. bound — obliged
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. key — the most important part
  17. content — happy
  18. club — for dancing
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. key — for a lock
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. kid — child
  24. band — a rubber band

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